Managing Themselves
by Captin of Sirius
Summary: Let us watch well our beginnings and results will manage themselves. "And, start!" Second book of my Confessions of the Uchiha saga. Contains: violence, death, cursing, mild shonen-ai, OCs. Sequel to Keeping Together with characters from Messages in the Sky, The Way We Were and Memoirs of Venus. Already typed. Uploaded weekly.
1. Foreword

_- _Foreword -

_Back again are you, dear readers? Well then, I welcome you. I, also, must caution you. These next confessions will be fast and come without warning most of the time. Deaths will happen at the drop of a hat and information will be revealed with little remorse or contemplation on whether it should or not._

_There is much love in this book. Nearly all of the siblings get married, with the exception of the youngest four and the younger twins. Many children are born and many hearts are broken. Mistakes are made, both big and small. Lives are changed, for the good and the bad._

_What affects the future is not always clear, I learned very early on. Who could possibly guess that people who die could actually live at the same time? What makes that so? Is there something bigger than us out there? Many teenagers question the last, and I will readily admit to being one of them._

_Before you step into this next set of confessions, keep in mind that these confessions will fill nearly eight years. Little Hitomi starts off at the tender age of three and ends this set at ten. A lot can change in a long period of time, yet you will notice that many of the changes in this book take place in a matter of seconds. Entire parts of what make up some people change instantly because of one secret or revelation._

_Open minds will know us best, as I have stated previously. As you meet and trust the enemies that will be revealed in later confessions, will you be able to look back at them the same again? Will you be able to still see a sad face and sympathize with it our will you damn it for the pain it will cause?_

_These are our transition confessions. They build us up and give us foundation for the hardships we will face in the future. They are something to fall back on so that we do not lose ourselves completely._

_They are what they are, and that makes them precious._

_And now, I present to you, our second set of confessions._


	2. At Long Last February 2012

SEQUEL TO KEEPING TOGETHER

Things to remember:

A) I own all characters who you have never heard of.

B) I do not own the characters from Naruto, Fruits Basket, Crescent Moon, Ai No Kusabi, The Mortal Instruments or Please Teacher, sadly. But that's okay. I'll live.

C) This is a work of **FICTION.** So because of this fact, anything I say goes. No complaining if something below does not make sense. I will be more than happy to explain my logic if you ask me.

D) This is the first part of a six part saga

E) This story covers almost 8 years of the Uchiha siblings life

F) 55 chapters + a foreword, an epilogue, and a preview for book 3

G) This not a crossover. It is a Naruto AU. It just contains characters from other animes. It focuses on the interactions of my Uchiha family.

**More relevant info to this chapter:** Here we go again, everyone! Hang on tight, because I am posting the foreword and the first chapter today ;)

Sincerely wishing you all well,

Kida-Asumi, the Captin of Sirius

* * *

><p>"Oh, Sak, you look so beautiful." Miyako whispered to her sister as she pinned back her hair. Sakura beamed at her in the mirror. Behind them, Mimi and Tohru were helping Kiho and Mei get ready.<p>

"Thanks, Miya. I'm so happy." She sighed. Her baby sister chuckled, wrapping her arms around her.

"Me too. Soon, I'll join you and Mi in the Uchiha family." She said. Sakura smiled.

"Yeah." She replied softly.

"I'll take the girls out to the entrance." Tohru told Mimi behind them.

"Kay. Meet you with our bride." She said as she stood behind her youngest two sisters.

"Ready?" Mimi asked, gripping her shoulders. Sakura nodded, standing up.

"Yes."

* * *

><p>"I do." L resisted the urge to sigh as the room held its breath, anticipating the first kiss of 'Mr. &amp; Mrs. Sasuke Uchiha.' He was sitting in-between Yuuri and Wataru. Kida, Kane, and Akina sat to Wataru's left. Kida was holding Aiden. Akina was holding Zinan, and Yukio was being held by Yuki. Ren sat in-between them. Minato &amp; Mikoto sat to Yuuri's right. Minato was holding Hitomi, and Mikoto was holding Keiji.<p>

"Then I proudly pronounce you man and wife." Kosuke murmured, smiling warmly at the two. Sasuke smirked and Sakura smiled through her tear filled green eyes. He pulled her close, kissing her softly.

"Whoo!" Oten cheered behind him, the crowd following. Sasuke and Sakura laughed and pulled apart, the hands still locked.

"Someone wants his parents." Mikoto said as she walked up to them. Keiji glanced at his parents, a faint grin taking over his face. Sakura reached for him, Sasuke's arm going around her waist during the process.

"Hi little Keiji." She cooed. He blinked up at her.

"Let's party!" Miyako exclaimed, beaming.

"Yeah!" Oten agreed, scooping Ren up. She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Let's eat food, Uncle Oten." She said. He nodded, planting a sound kiss on her cheek.

"For you, sweet babe, anything."

"More like you're glad that someone else suggested it." Kida muttered, shifting Aiden in her arms. He yawned, resting back against her chest.

"Now kids, let's behave and proceed to the reception hall." Riki chided from his spot at Sasuke's side, who was hugging Akina. She whispered something softly into her twin's ear, and then pulled away from him to return to her husband. Sasuke nodded, giving her hand one last squeeze.

"Seriously though, let's get going." Wataru muttered impatiently. Kane rolled her eyes, gripping his shoulder.

"Come on, you growing boy." She sighed as she led her brother away and into the reception hall.

"Right behind you, Kane~" Yuki said in his sing-song voice. Yukio laughed in his arms.

Up in front of the alter Sasuke shared a smile with his new wife. Sakura's eyes softened as she looked into his.

"Let's go cut our cake." He said. She nodded, leaning against him.

"And get our families well and truly tanked." She added, sending her baby a silly face. Keiji giggled in her arms. Sasuke chuckled, leading his young family out after their guests.

* * *

><p>"And now I pass the mic to my sister, Akina." Riki said. Akina stood up, walking over to take the mic from him. He hugged her, and the two shared a smile before he stepped away. Akina looked over at Sasuke, her eyes soft and heavy with emotions. Blinking, she gathered herself together.<p>

"Wow. I've spoken professionally, and given about a dozen public interviews in the last few years, yet this is probably going to be the hardest speeches I ever give until my three, beautiful children get married."

"Speak no evil!" Yuki cried from his table. Akina rolled her eyes, and then sighed, gripping the microphone in her hands tightly.

"Ignoring my husband…Sasuke is my twin brother. Even if I disagree with everything that he feels, that fact will never change because he is my twin brother. We shared a womb, a crib, a set of parents, and clothing on the occasion, and many younger siblings. Hell, we even swapped toiletries once or twice. Now we share a clan." She paused, looking up at him. He met her gaze, a slight curious gleam in their shared eyes. "Sasuke. I support you on this too. Even if I have…some contempt for my new sister-in-law, I am so proud of you for stepping up and taking responsibility, even when she didn't. Hopefully, your life will fall into place now. No more emo music, okay?" She joked, a silent tear sliding down her cheek, referencing to their earlier teenage years.

Sasuke chuckled, taking Sakura's hand.

"That was kind of rude." She muttered, leaning against him. He kissed the top of her head and didn't reply. His sister was just being honest, after all. They watched as Akina was embraced by Riki and Kane, Ren hugging her knees.

"It was also kind of true, sis." Miyako said from behind her. She was in her boyfriend Ken's arms, the two watching the party. Sakura rolled her eyes, looking up at Sasuke.

"It doesn't matter, anyway. We're married now, and that's all that counts, right Sasuke?" She asked. He nodded, kissing her forehead.

"Yes. That's all that matters."

* * *

><p>"When will you be back home, Uncle Sasuke?" Ren asked as she sat on her uncle's lap that evening. Sasuke patted her green head, looking down at her. The two, Sakura, Akina, Yuki, Itachi, and the Uchiha grandsons were at the local airport, about to send off Sasuke and Sakura for their honeymoon.<p>

"After I spend two weeks alone with Aunt Sakura." He replied.

"Not a minute later?" She asked. He shook his head.

"No. I have a child now, you know." Sasuke said, looking over at his month old son in Sakura's arms.

"It's getting late. Perhaps we should move this along?" Itachi suggested gently. As if to prove his point, Ginkai yawned from his side. Akina nodded, shifting her three month old.

"I agree. Itachi, will you take Keiji?" She asked as she hugged Sasuke.

"Let me say goodbye first." Sasuke said. Sakura was kissing his cheek, cooing her love to his half-asleep face. The current patriarch of the Uchiha family smiled, kissing his forehead.

"Be good for your aunt and uncles while we're gone. I love you, Keiji." Sasuke murmured. He glanced up at his new wife, who was watching him. She sighed, pulling away from him.

"Bye bye, Keiji." She said softly, handing her son to Itachi. Itachi cradled him to his chest, and then took Ginkai's hand.

"Be safe." Akina said, shifting Zinan as Yuki took Ren's hand. Sasuke nodded, sending his sister a smile.

"We'll be fine." He said. After sharing a look with his wife, the two left.

* * *

><p>AN: So Sasuke and Sakura are married. The first of many marriages that happen in this story? Anyone want to guess who the others are? Hint: There are 4 more.

- Kida-Asumi


	3. Romeo & Juliet March 2012

SEQUEL TO KEEPING TOGETHER

Things to remember:

A) I own all characters who you have never heard of.

B) I do not own the characters from Naruto, Fruits Basket, Crescent Moon, Ai No Kusabi, The Mortal Instruments or Please Teacher, sadly. But that's okay. I'll live.

C) This is a work of **FICTION.** So because of this fact, anything I say goes. No complaining if something below does not make sense. I will be more than happy to explain my logic if you ask me.

D) This is the first part of a six part saga

E) This story covers almost 8 years of the Uchiha siblings life

F) 55 chapters + a foreword, an epilogue, and a preview for book 3

G) This not a crossover. It is a Naruto AU. It just contains characters from other animes. It focuses on the interactions of my Uchiha family.

**More relevant info to this chapter:** Here we go again, everyone! Sorry for the delay, but work happened ;)

Sincerely wishing you all well,

Kida-Asumi, the Captin of Sirius

* * *

><p>Riki resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket for the 10th time that day. A guy could only ignore a vibrating phone so many times.<p>

_35 missed calls_

_22 missed text messages_

They were all from a few different people, thought only 4 of the text messages were form his siblings. The majority were Katze and Iason, both of whom he was ignoring. Katze, because he was pissed at him, and Iason…he didn't want to go there. Not yet.

"Call him." Kida whispered in his ear. Riki jumped, glaring at his sister.

"Do you call your baby daddy?" He snapped. She rolled her eyes as she adjusted her nearly one year old son. She had learned long ago not to take anything Riki snapped to heart.

"Oh shush. Anyway, I'm going out with Po and Miya to look at stuff for Aiden's first birthday. He's going to Fern's place while we shop. See you later!" She waved as she walked away. Riki sighed as soon as the front door clicked shut.

Finally, now he could mope in peace.

_Ring Ring_

Or not.

"Hello." Riki sighed into the phone, after identifying the caller.

"_Thank god you finally picked up!"_ Katze exclaimed. Riki rolled his eyes, lying down on his couch.

"What the hell do you want?" He asked.

"_I'm standing outside of your front door. Let me in, Riki, so I can explain." _His best friend sighed.

"The door's open!" Riki called as he hung up the phone. He didn't as much as glance up when Katze entered the room.

"Riki…listen to me, okay?" He began, sitting down. Riki frowned, and reluctantly allowed his best friend an audience. He sat up, staring at Katze.

"So, when I met Raoul, he told me that he was in America so that he could watch the situation in Britannia from an outsider's point of view. He told me that his family lived in Berlin, thus were caught up in the mess. He also said that his mother's job would be decided by the outcome of that damned, still ongoing revolution." He began. Riki nodded. Naruto had begun to be affected by it too. "Well, then, after he met you, he began to carefully hide his life. Then, the night that you found out the truth, so did I. This family is my family. The hurt and shock I felt cut through me. However, I eventually came to terms with it and forgave Raoul. But Riki, understand this. You need to hear the truth from Iason himself." He concluded. Riki frowned.

"Katze, man. Since I guess I can't blame you for my fucked up love life, at least answer me this. Did he always know who I was?" He asked softly. Katze nodded.

"He did. But, that is all I can say. The next time he and Raoul will be in the area is next June. Would you like me to set you guys something up?" The red head asked. Riki hesitated, thinking about it for a minute. Eventually, Riki nodded.

"Thanks man." He said softly, looking at the ceiling once more. Katze gripped his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Riki."

* * *

><p>"Riki! Where you at?" Hitomi cried as she ran throughout the house, Aiden half toddling, half crawling after her. Her mother had asked her to find her older brother because dinner was ready, but he wasn't in any normal places.<p>

"Out here, baby girl!" She heard him call from their garage. Rolling her dark eyes, she gripped Aiden's hand and pulled him after her.

"Found you!" She giggled once the two were in the garage. Riki grinned, putting out his cigarette.

"You did, babe. Good job. Now what do you rascals want?" He asked, scooping up Aiden. Hitomi took his hand, beaming.

"Mommy says dinner's ready." She explained. He nodded.

"Okay. So I heard that some special little girl beat Popo at Candy land today." Riki teased, winking at Aiden. The little boy laughed, burying his face in Riki's shoulder. Hitomi nodded.

"Yup! Kida was so impressed." She bragged, leading him towards the dining room.

"I bet." He agreed, entering the room to find it full.

"Where have you been hiding out, dude?" Oten asked, as he was currently playing a game of cards with L and Yuuri. Riki shrugged, placing Aiden in his high chair and helping Hitomi into her buster seat.

"Nowhere. I was just taking care of business." He replied.

"Ugh, you sound like Dad." Wataru snorted as he and Popo entered the room.

"Well, Grandma Lin always says that a busy person achieves fulfillment faster than a non-busy person." Riki said, sitting down beside Oten.

"That she does, darling." The boys and Hitomi looked up to find Kane, Kida, Minato, and Mikoto enter the room, food in their arms.

"Mama!" Hitomi and Aiden exclaimed. Kida chuckled, sinking into her seat beside Popo and patted Aiden's head.

"Hey bubba." She cooed.

As the family dug in, Riki's attention wandered to Iason. If what Katze said had been true, then perhaps their Romeo and Juliet love wasn't doomed to fail.

Maybe it was meant to be.

* * *

><p>AN: So, my darlings, what did you think? Will Iason and Riki make up?

- Kida-Asumi


	4. Graduation May 2012

SEQUEL TO KEEPING TOGETHER

Things to remember:

A) I own all characters who you have never heard of.

B) I do not own the characters from Naruto, Fruits Basket, Crescent Moon, Ai No Kusabi, The Mortal Instruments or Please Teacher, sadly. But that's okay. I'll live.

C) This is a work of **FICTION.** So because of this fact, anything I say goes. No complaining if something below does not make sense. I will be more than happy to explain my logic if you ask me.

D) This is the first part of a six part saga

E) This story covers almost 8 years of the Uchiha siblings life

F) 55 chapters + a foreword, an epilogue, and a preview for book 3

G) This not a crossover. It is a Naruto AU. It just contains characters from other animes. It focuses on the interactions of my Uchiha family.

**More relevant info to this chapter:** This is one of my favorite chapters in the first half of book 2 ;)

Sincerely wishing you all well,

Kida-Asumi, the Captin of Sirius

* * *

><p>"Mama." Aiden said, pointing to his mother as she walked on stage to receive her diploma, Oten and Ken on either side of her.<p>

"That's her." Kane agreed, smiling down at her little nephew. Akina was sitting next to her with Zinan on her lap, the little six month old chewing on his teething ring. Sakura was next to Akina, four month old Keiji observing the scene with curious eyes. Mikoto was sobbing on Akina's other side, Minato gripping her shoulders. Yuuri, L, Wataru, Ginkai, Jo II, and Itachi sat in the row behind them.

"Whoo! Go get 'em babies!" Riki and Yuki called together from the very top of the bleachers, where the two, Sasuke, Hitomi, and Akina's oldest two children had retreated. Itachi sighed, recording the thing while resisting the urge to shoot his brothers.

"Boys!" Akina hissed, shooting her brothers and husband a glare. Yuki shrugged.

"And that concludes our graduation ceremony." Principal Asuma said. The crowd broke out into applause, a few people cheering.

"Wow, look at them all." Kida said to her male companions. Ken nodded, observing the crowd and media.

"Yeah. This is awesome!" Oten exclaimed. Chuckling, the threesome headed outside to meet up with their family, hands clasped together.

"Congrats, Ki!" Akina exclaimed, hugging her sister. Kida chuckled, returning her embrace. Popo wandered over to them, Akina hugging him too.

"Thanks, 'Kina." She replied.

"Mama!" Aiden shrieked towards her, wiggling in his Aunt's arms. Kane rolled her eyes, quickly passing her the infant. She smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

"Why hello, little Aiden. You'll be where I am now in about seventeen years. Well, hopefully without a baby." She added sternly.

"Let's hope." Kane agreed as they were surrounded by family.

"Kida, Oten, we need to talk." Minato said as he and Mikoto made their way through the crowd. Kida nodded, adjusting Aiden in her arms.

"Okay." Oten agreed as he joined them. Mikoto smiled.

"Oh my babies, graduates." She sniffled, hugging them both. Kida cuddled close as Oten stifled a groan. After kissing their cheeks, Mikoto took Hitomi from her husband and led the children to waiting cars.

* * *

><p>"So in addition to Erin, we are now getting Samantha for the Northern Complex, and Eric for the Southern?" Akina asked as Zinan slept in her arms. Her mother nodded.<p>

"Yes. Erin will be in charge of our transportation and other types of safety measures, but now he can leave without worrying about things back at home." She explained. Kida nodded, smiling at Aiden on her hip.

"Okay. I always knew that Oten and I would have to move to the Southern Complex when we became second in commands, and I know that I'll be able to sleep easier if my little man has someone watching over him while I'm away." She added.

"I agree. My little sis and my nephew need all the protection they can get until she settles down with a nice man." Oten said, wrapping an arm around his sister. Sasuke snorted. His little sister could stay single for as long as possible, thanks.

"Well, I guess things will be much different with you and Ki than with Akina and I. At least at the Northern Complex, both Akina and Sakura are there." He said. Akina nodded.

"Yup." She agreed. Mikoto let out a content sigh, leaning against her husband.

"It makes me so happy to see all of you getting along. I always dreamed my children would turn out like this; sharing their reliefs, hopes, and dreams." She said. Her children rolled their eyes.

"Momma, we haven't been doing that. We're having a business discussion." Akina protested. Mikoto shook her head. It didn't matter. They were acting like responsible adults, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

><p>"It's nice to meet you." Kida smiled at her new body guard a week later. Eric nodded.<p>

"Miss Uchiha." He said formally.

"Miss Uchiha? How odd to hear you referred to as that." A teasing voice said behind them. Kida turned, smiling at the new companion.

"Fern!" Aiden gasped, running over eagerly to the red head. Fern smiled and knelt down, scooping him up. He walked over, smiling at Kida before shooting Eric a curious glance.

"So who are you?" He asked. Eric glared.

"I do believe that is something I must be asking you." He replied. Kida chuckled, shaking her head.

"Eric, this is Fern Asumi, my friend. Fern, this is Eric, the new chief of security at our Southern Complex, my new home." She explained. Fern nodded, shooting Aiden a grin.

"Well look at you two. Living large, huh? Being the grandson of a former president not enough for you, little guy?" He teased. Aiden shrugged, playing with his necklace. Kida rolled her eyes, hitting his shoulder.

"We're moving in next Saturday, so Eric and I are examining any form of threat to the family's safety; Kane and Riki are joining us here then." She added. Fern nodded.

"I'll help you guys out next week. Your mom will make us dinner, right?" He asked. Kida nodded.

"Yup. So, would you like to join us now? Find new places to hide from my bright boy?" She asked. Fern rolled his eyes.

"Alright. Anyway to keep up with the new generation, eh Eric?" Fern asked, nudging his side. Eric sighed.

"Please do not do that, sir. I would hate to have to use force to restrain you."

As he led the way, Kida and Fern shared a silent chuckle. This man was something else.

* * *

><p>"Look Aiden, your own room!" Hitomi exclaimed, running around the room. The little red head ran after her.<p>

"Hitomi!" He called after her as she dashed into his closet. Riki chuckled from his spot in the doorway.

"And I got my own too." He said softly.

"I know! It makes me so happy to finally _not_ share a room with my sister!" Kida said as she joined him. Riki nodded.

"Tell me about it. No more Oten's snoring or Sasuke's groaning keeping me awake at night. I can finally watch gay porn without protest." He mumbled the last bit, his sister glaring.

"Riki! Not with my baby in the vicinity." She griped. He chuckled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"I promise to try." He said solemnly. Kida shook her head, leaning against him.

As they watched Aiden and Hitomi continue their impromptu game, the two siblings both let their minds wander…to surprisingly similar corners.

Kida watched her bastard-child (by definition) and hoped that by Satoshi's abrupt disappearance, nothing negative would impact him. Already his young life had started off better than hers, seeing as she was nearly killed at the age of two weeks by a blood thirsty assassin. She also briefly pondered over his red hair and eyes; she supposed that they must have come from Satoshi's family.

Her brother, on the other hand, was thinking about his tryst with the new head of their family's major rival, Amoi Corp. Yes, Riki was very upset by this discovery. He really felt that things were going to work out with Iason, and truthfully, he would like them to still. Riki sincerely hoped that next month, things could finally work out for the better.

"Dinner's ready!" Kane's voice pulled them both from their thoughts.

"Sweet!" Hitomi exclaimed, jumping up from beside Aiden and ran downstairs. Kida chuckled, picking up her son as Riki turned off his light.

"Are you hungry, Ai?" Kida asked, looking into his ruby eyes. He nodded, grinning.

"Yeah!" He said enthusiastically. Riki smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Then we had better get down there and eat before Uncle Oten eats everything." He said. Kida rolled her eyes and lead the two downstairs, where there mother and sister (Kane) had a big meal laid out for them.

* * *

><p>"Mrs. Isayo?" Samantha questioned as Akina paused suddenly. The two were returning to their car from the airport, Erin, the men, and the children way ahead of them. Akina turned to her and smiled.<p>

"Akina, please." She corrected her, absently brushing her hair out of her face. "And I paused because I just realized something."

Samantha nodded, encouraging her to continue. Akina grinned, reaching out to grip her shoulder.

"You look just like that one up and coming celebrity! What's a cutie like you doing trying to protect my family from the baddies?" She asked. Samantha blushed, looking down.

"I must pay my bills, some way ma'am." She said politely. Akina nodded, chuckled.

"Good girl." She said, but before she could continue, she heard her husband calling for her. Winking, Akina began to move towards them.

"I think you'll be a nice role model for my daughter. I trust you'll try to be." She added. With wide, touched eyes, Samantha nodded.

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

><p>"Po?" Kida asked as she sat down next to him that night. He turned to her silently. She took his hand, squeezing tightly.<p>

"Thanks for always staying with me. I really appreciate it. You're my best friend, you know." She said, blinking back tears. He smiled and nodded, pulling her into a hug. She chuckled, hugging back.

"I love you, you know." She whispered. He nodded, and then mouthed the words back to her. She pulled back, and then wiped her cheeks.

"Promise to be with me forever?" She asked, holding out a pinky. He accepted, wrapping his around her.

_I promise…Kida._

* * *

><p>AN: No, Po and Kida will not get together. That would be so weird :P Also, Riki is of a better state of mind now. June is the next chapter ;)


	5. Reunited June 2012

SEQUEL TO KEEPING TOGETHER

Things to remember:

A) I own all characters who you have never heard of.

B) I do not own the characters from Naruto, Fruits Basket, Crescent Moon, Ai No Kusabi, The Mortal Instruments or Please Teacher, sadly. But that's okay. I'll live.

C) This is a work of **FICTION.** So because of this fact, anything I say goes. No complaining if something below does not make sense. I will be more than happy to explain my logic if you ask me.

D) This is the first part of a six part saga

E) This story covers almost 8 years of the Uchiha siblings life

F) 55 chapters + a foreword, an epilogue, and a preview for book 3

G) This not a crossover. It is a Naruto AU. It just contains characters from other animes. It focuses on the interactions of my Uchiha family.

**More relevant info to this chapter:** Alrighty everyone, a couple things. First off, thanks for the support. I am really happy that most of you are pleased by this story. Second, I will update this story on Tuesdays with my other fics. Once I have Book 3 in a state fit to be seen, I will do a massive update and then I shall start working on Book 4(which I have a tentative outline for).

Riki gets the closure that he desperately needs in this chapter. Sakura receives some wonderful news.

Sincerely wishing you all well,

Kida-Asumi, the Captin of Sirius

* * *

><p><em>June 2012<em>

Riki Uchiha had always had a problem with long car rides. Whether it be a trip to Itachi's University 40 minutes away, or to his new home in the Midwest, the adopted son of Mikoto Uchiha hated them.

Especially now, as he and his best friend traveled to see his old flame.

"Calm down, dude. It'll be fine. Raoul and I are going to leave you two alone to chat while we lounge around at the pool. Iason is so excited, Riki." Katze added, as he pulled the car into garage parking at the private resort Iason and Raoul chose to meet them at. Riki sighed, nodding.

"'Kay." He agreed solemnly.

"Riki. It'll all work out, I just know it. Trust me, okay?" He asked, shooting his friend a smile. Riki glanced up before nodding.

"Fine. I'll agree to keep an open mind." He mumbled. Katze nodded.

"Now that's the spirit. Let's get your life all damn good and well again." He said, cutting the engine. Riki rolled his eyes.

Katze had such a way with words.

* * *

><p>"Would you like anything?" Iason asked softly, referring to the room service menu he had in his hands. The two were in Iason's hotel room, Katze and Raoul down at the pool. Riki shook his head, not trusting his voice quiet yet. He needed to get his heart rate down first. Iason nodded, putting it down.<p>

"Very well. I suppose I am to start this conversation, am I not?" He asked. Riki shook his head.

"No. I'm questioning you first." He said, managing to keep a calm disposition. Iason titled his head in conformation.

"I will answer truthfully." He assured him. Riki nodded, and then turned his eyes to the window. Maybe if he didn't have to stare in to those glacier eyes he could get through this.

"Are you really the new CEO of Amoi Corp?" He asked. Iason watched Riki as he answered.

"Yes. As the firstborn son of Jupiter, it was to be expected." Riki nodded. He had expected that answer.

"Did you come to America to spy for your mother?" He asked next. Iason shook his head, frowning.

"Oh no. It is against my personal morals to do such a thing. I do not allow any spy work among anything with my name on it. I think that it is a very underhanded thing to do. I will not deny that my mother tried to get Raoul to do so through Katze, but she never knew about our relationship, thus your family is safe." The Blondie explained. Riki nodded. At least his family was safe.

"Are you really serious about making this work with me?" He asked, turning back to look at his ex-lover. Iason nodded his expression serious.

"Yes. Before we separated for the holidays, I had come to the conclusion that I cared for you deeply. I never meant to lie to you, Riki. My mother was supposed to announce my take over on New Year's, giving me time to tell you, but for some reason she decided to move it up." He explained. Riki frowned, doubtful.

"Honestly, Iason? You really were going to tell me about this?" He asked. Iason nodded again, leaning closer to Riki.

"Yes. I had planned on returning to the states a few days before the New Year, and after talking to you and getting your support, we would talk to your family and appear together at the release." Iason said his blue eyes sincere. Riki sighed, leaning back against his chair.

"It hurt, Iason. It hurt a whole fucking hell of a lot. My whole family was worried there for a while." He admitted softly. Most of them didn't understand his upset. It confounded them and they worried about his mental state. Iason's warm hand suddenly gripped his.

"I can only imagine how betrayed you must have felt. I was furious." Iason said, using the same tone as Riki. The Uchiha male nodded, looking at Iason.

"Don't fuck up this time. We're serious now, okay?" He said. Iason nodded, smiling softly.

"Of course. Do you have any more questions?" He asked as Riki walked into his arms. Riki nodded.

"Yeah. What about those two major wars ravishing Europe? Will you be affected?" He asked, concerned as he had been since the news reached him four days ago.

For years now, Great Britain, currently known as Britannia, had been in a major civil war, mainly within its royal family. When Wataru was born, the Britannia royal family lost their youngest two members to unknown causes. Now, both were back and Prince Lelouch was leading his Black Knights against his father. Naruto felt that the US was safe from all of that conflict, and was more concerned about the other European war.

The year that Fugaku and Makisumi Uchiha were assassinated, the Prime Minister of France got into a squabble with the King of Spain, and the two countries, along with their separate Allies, had been fighting ever since. Most people called this the Modern War, and it was a nightmare of a time to be in Europe right now.

Iason chuckled quietly, Riki's concern was so very touching, tightening his arms around Riki.

"Yes, but it is for the best. In fact, once we get contact with Prince Lelouch, I want to call a meeting with him and discuss our plan. You should be there too, Riki." He added. Riki nodded, pressing their foreheads together.

"I wouldn't let you go without me, babe. After just getting you back, you'd be crazy if you think that I'm going to let you out of my sight." He said. Iason chuckled again.

"Good. Shall we join Raoul and Katze by the pool?" He asked. Riki nodded, wrapping his arms around Iason's neck.

"Yeah. Let's change and go down there. We can stay here tonight, though, right?" The ex-gang leader asked. Iason nodded.

"Yes. I am here for the next four days." He explained. Riki grinned.

"Then I guess that means I need to call my sisters and tell them I've been kidnapped by Katze."

* * *

><p>Zinan Isayo, six months old, watched his Aunt Sakura pace the living room floor of his Uncle's house anxiously as he and his cousin Keiji, 5 months old, sat on the floor. His brother Yukio, age 3, was coloring at the nearby coffee table. His parents were out of town on business, his sister Ren was at her daycare, Ginkai and Itachi were at the Uchiha military headquarters, and Sasuke was at the office.<p>

"She'll be back soon, dear. Please relax." Lin said soothingly from her spot on the couch. Sakura nodded.

"I know, I know. I am just so nervous, Grandma Lin. Keiji is still so young, and we're all still adjusting." She sighed. Lin smiled, shaking her head.

"Darling, when I married Jin, we had barely known each other for six months, and I was three months pregnant with my oldest. Then, Madara was barely a year old when Fugaku was born. Things like this happen." She said, squeezing her shoulders as she stood beside her. Sakura smiled at Lin, relieved to hear that she was not the first mother to go through this.

"Thank you. I know that I entered this family under less than respectable ways, but I'm glad we've gotten past that." She said sincerely. Lin nodded. Both looked up as Samantha rushed in, trying to catch her breath.

"Sorry, traffic was crazy. Here you go, Miss Sakura. I'll stay with Lady Lin and the children." She said. Sakura smiled, taking the plastic bag from her head of security.

"Thanks, Samantha." She said.

* * *

><p>"Well?" Lin asked as Sakura exited the bathroom. Sakura grinned.<p>

"I'm pregnant!" She squealed. Lin squealed in return and together they embraced one another, talking about this wonderful news in hushed voices.

"What's going on, ladies?" Both paused and looked towards the doorway where Sasuke stood, Ren in his arms, beside Jin.

"Hi honey." Lin greeted her spouse, walking over and kissing him. She then turned and took Ren from Sasuke. "We'll be with our great-grandbabies, Sasu-dear." She said, pulling her husband out of the room. An awkward silence filled the room.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked, walking over to his wife. She bit her lip, taking his hand.

"I just found out some great news." She said. He raised a brow, silently questioning her. She paused.

"I'm pregnant." She said, grinning up at him. Sasuke's eyes widened, instantly jumping down to her stomach.

"Another baby. Our honeymoon baby." He whispered. She nodded, pressing his hand to her stomach.

"Yes. And it's really, truly yours." She assured him. He grinned.

"We're having a baby." He said, hugging her. She giggled, wrapping her arms around his back.

"It better be a girl!" The two looked over to find Ren pouting at them, her green hair high up in a new ponytail. Lin laughed, nodding.

"I agree. Poor little Renny needs some female companionship." Lin teased, Keiji in her arms.

"Mama!" He cooed, reaching for Sakura. She smiled, taking her infant.

"Congrats, guys." Lin said. Sasuke nodded.

"Thanks, Grandma Lin. Mom's going to be thrilled." He grinned. Sakura groaned.

"Ugh, so will my sisters." Lin chuckled, amused by their horror. Looking out the window behind her, she wondered about her other relatives.

_Fugaku, you're getting another grandchild. Mama, you're getting another great-grandchild. I wish you were both with me now._

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Riki and Iason are back together for good! Which is a positive thing because they are key players in this story ;) And Sakura and Sasuke are on to baby number 2! It will be born in chapter 10 ;) That gives you six chapters to guess the gender, name, and if it is more than one baby(Sasuke and Sakura have two sets of twins; Most of the Uchiha twins will have twins themselves)

- Kida-Asumi


	6. New Love July 2012

SEQUEL TO KEEPING TOGETHER

Things to remember:

A) I own all characters who you have never heard of.

B) I do not own the characters from Naruto, Fruits Basket, Crescent Moon, Ai No Kusabi, The Mortal Instruments or Please Teacher, sadly. But that's okay. I'll live.

C) This is a work of **FICTION.** So because of this fact, anything I say goes. No complaining if something below does not make sense. I will be more than happy to explain my logic if you ask me.

D) This is the first part of a six part saga

E) This story covers almost 8 years of the Uchiha siblings' life

F) 55 chapters + a foreword, an epilogue, and a preview for book 3

G) This not a crossover. It is a Naruto AU. It just contains characters from other animes. It focuses on the interactions of my Uchiha family.

**More relevant info to this chapter:** Hey everyone! In this set of confessions, we take a look at a new relationship, and a new friendship

Sincerely wishing you all well,

Kida-Asumi, the Captin of Sirius

* * *

><p><em>July 2012<em>

Kida Uchiha smiled as she watched her best friend play on the local playground with her toddler and little sister. It was Popo's first day off of the month, and he had asked her if they could take the kids to the park. She agreed, only if they could go swimming. He had laughed at her and then grabbed her bikini.

So there she sat, lying on a blanket under the shade of a tree. She chuckled as she spotted her little red head climb up the steps towards the slide, a determined look on his young face. She watched him slide down the slide, and smiled softly at the stunned look on his face when he tumbled to the ground.

"Kida?" She sat up and turned towards the male voice. Kida grinned when she spotted him.

"Fern!" She waved, standing up and walking over to him. He smiled.

"Did you decide to bring the kid to this lovely day at the park?" He asked. Kida nodded.

"Yeah. Po suggested it, but I really think it's because he wants to manhunt." She teased. "So what brought you here, Fern? To Virginia?" She added DC certainly wasn't as far away as SD, but it still wasn't a few blocks away, by any means. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Actually…I came to find you. I need to talk to you, Ki." He said. She nodded, frowning slightly at the serious look in his eyes.

"Okay. Let me tell Po that we're going down to get lunch for everyone. We can talk while we wait." She said. He nodded, watching as her bikini clad body ran off.

* * *

><p>"You're acting weird, Fern. Is this about a woman?" She asked, teasing him. When he blushed, she gasped. "Ooh, do tell~" She said. He sighed, shaking his head.<p>

"Alright, I'll tell you." He said. They sat down on a bench beside the checkout desk of the local restaurant. Looking up, he smiled slightly.

"I drove here to ask you out, Kida Uchiha." Fern said, taking her hand. Kida's onyx eyes widened.

"What?" She asked, stunned. He nodded.

"Yes. I've missed you like crazy since you left. I'm not making a love confession, here, but I do want to try a relationship with you. If you want it." The red head added. Kida blushed, looking at her hands.

"I would love to, Fern. As long as you do not mind my baby, or a long distance thing, or my crazy family." She said softly, looking up at him through her lashes. He shrugged.

"Kida, I genuinely love Aiden; I have known him since he was very young, after all. And if we get serious, I will move here. I love your family." He chuckled. She smiled, reaching out to grip his hand.

"Okay then. So…do you want to spend the day with us?" Kida asked. Fern nodded, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"I'd love to."

* * *

><p>Akina Isayo, mother of three, sighed as she watched her sister-in-law looking through baby catalogues. The two were at Akina's house, the children either outback or napping.<p>

"Sakura, don't you think it's a little early for that yet?" She asked, sitting down next to her. Sakura glared.

"No, why would it be? My baby will need things for when it comes." She said. Akina rolled her eyes.

"You have time. Besides, shouldn't you be worried about working? What are we going to do once the summer is over?" She asked. Sakura frowned.

"What do you mean? You'll be here most of the time, Akina." She said. Akina sighed.

"That's the problem. I'll be here _most _of the time. I'm concerned about what will happen when it's a Friday night, I'm leaving to go to England with Samantha, Ginkai and Ren have school the next day, you are pulling a double, and both of our husbands have the late shift. Oh, and Itachi is at the military base." She explained. Sakura nodded, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully.

"Hm…" She trailed off. "Can't Lin watch them?" Sakura asked. Akina shrugged.

"I guess. Do you think I'm overreacting?" The black haired woman asked. Sakura nodded.

"A little, Akina. But it's probably because you've been so overwhelmed for the last couple of years. What we need is some down time." She smiled. Akina chuckled.

"Thanks, Sakura. You know, I guess you're not so bad. I don't think I mind you being my sister." She said slyly. Sakura scoffed, but Akina didn't miss her grin.

They might never be the best of friends, but their shared love of her brother and their family could certainly be something for them to bond over.

With that thought in mind, Akina moved closer to Sakura, looking through the baby catalogue.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So, what do you think of Fern and Kida? I actually really, really like them together ;)

- Kida-Asumi


	7. Date Night August 2012

SEQUEL TO KEEPING TOGETHER

Things to remember:

A) I own all characters who you have never heard of.

B) I do not own the characters from Naruto, Fruits Basket, Crescent Moon, Ai No Kusabi, The Mortal Instruments or Please Teacher, sadly. But that's okay. I'll live.

C) This is a work of **FICTION.** So because of this fact, anything I say goes. No complaining if something below does not make sense. I will be more than happy to explain my logic if you ask me.

D) This is the first part of a six part saga

E) This story covers almost 8 years of the Uchiha siblings' life

F) 55 chapters + a foreword, an epilogue, and a preview for book 3

G) This not a crossover. It is a Naruto AU. It just contains characters from other animes. It focuses on the interactions of my Uchiha family.

**More relevant info to this chapter:** Book 3 is almost halfway through my read through! I'm so excited! Soon I can start typing book 4 :D This chapter we explore Riki and Kida's relationships.

Sincerely wishing you all well,

Kida-Asumi, the Captin of Sirius

* * *

><p><em>August 2012<em>

"Knock, knock." Riki said gently as he opened the door to Iason's office. The blond haired male looked up and beamed.

"Riki! I was not expecting you until later this evening." He said his joy at this sudden surprise evident. Riki chuckled and walked over to his desk, leaning over it.

"I know. I was in the area, and figured since it was only an hour or so before we were supposed to go and see that play, why the hell not just wait in person. I'm not bothering you though, right?" He asked, suddenly uneasy about this. Iason shook his head.

"No. Now I am only waiting for some reports from one of my technicians, then we can go. Please, sit. Should I send my secretary for anything for you?" He asked. Riki shook his head, sitting down in front of him.

"Nah, I'm okay. I have a question for you, though." He said. Iason nodded, waiting for him to voice it. "So, you have as many brothers as I do, right?"

"I do. What of it, my darling Riki?" He asked, smiling when Riki blushed.

"Ah, babe, you know how much I love that pet name." He mumbled, looking. Iason chuckled.

"I do. Now, about our brothers?" He asked. Riki nodded, getting back on tract.

"Well, how in the hell do you keep them straightened out? I mean, Itachi is buried in work, Oten is smoking weed, and I'm worried that L will die young if he doesn't take a break soon. Gosh, being in my family can be so tiring." Riki sighed. Iason chuckled as Riki flopped onto his desk.

"You have a nice relationship with all of yours, Riki. I love my brothers, and I am quite close to Raoul, but the others? Well, let us just say that an eight year age gap was too much." He said. Riki frowned. He reached out and took Iason's hand in his.

"Babe. They know you care, regardless. Okay?" He asked, squeezing Iason's hand. Iason nodded and returned the squeeze.

"I do. And to offer a solution to your current predicament, my dear. I suggest watching and waiting." He said. Riki nodded, scooting his chair closer to the desk.

"That was my plan. It sucks 'cause I'm not a very patient person." He groaned. Iason chuckled. When his computer beeped, Iason gently withdrew his hand.

"That is my email. One moment, please." He requested. Riki shrugged, slipping out his phone.

"No prob. I'll just check in with Ki at home real fast. She and Fern are going out tonight, and she's super nervous. First date and all that." Riki explained. Iason nodded.

"And what is to become of her son?" The leader of Amoi Corp asked. Riki frowned as he remembered the conversation he had with his sister.

"Um…I think Popo was going to watch him. Though I guess it could be Kane too." He mused. Iason chuckled, glancing at him briefly.

"I suppose either would do. That is what family is for, yes? Babysitting duties?" He teased. Riki snorted, both at Kida's frantic worry via text message, and his boyfriend's dry humor.

"Got that shit right. You have no idea how many times I've had to give up a hot and steamy second night stand because my siblings had things to do, and one of the younger boys had a cold." He said. Iason looked over, raising a brow in silent question.

"Second-night-stand? As in a sequel to a one-night-stand? Are those custom in America?" He asked. Riki shook his head.

"Nah. They're my thing. If I find a fine piece of hunk, I like to taste it again. Except for you, of course, sexy." He added with a wink. Iason smiled, reaching off to turn off his monitor.

"I am glad to hear you say that. I am done here, so shall we go?" He asked, rising from his desk. Riki nodded.

"Yeah. Let's blow this joint." He agreed, taking Iason's hand once it was offered. Iason chuckled, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Truer words have never been spoken, my darling." He said. Riki chuckled, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"Why shucks, Iason. You are just the sweetest man I've ever been with. Are you trying to get into my pants tonight?" He teased. Iason rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, Riki, is that how I seem to you? Only after a piece of your…delectable backside?" Iason countered, stepping in front of him. A wicked gleam appeared in Riki's dark eyes as Iason cupped his cheeks in-between his hands.

"Hey now, I never said that. I was just going to say that if you wanted a piece of this," he took on of Iason's hands, moving it down to grip his backside, "then all you had to was fondle me a little." He grinned. Iason chuckled darkly, looking into Riki's eyes with a hidden passion.

"Do you wish to skip the play?" He asked softly, subtly squeezing Riki's bottom, making him gasp and jerk forward. Iason bit back a grin, knowing he had him…until Riki sudden went lax in his arms, no longer as flushed as he was before. He stepped back from Iason's arms, taking his arm. He nearly frowned, confused by this new change.

"No. Let's go see it. I think it will be very interesting." Iason nearly did a double take at the suddenly wicked gleam in dark, onyx eyes. A sudden understanding came to Iason in that moment, and suddenly the gleam was in his eyes as well. Chuckling darkly, he moved hand to Riki's lower back and guided him out of his office.

"It seems that way."

* * *

><p>Kida wringed her hands together nervously as Fern drove them to a secret location. He chuckled from beside her.<p>

"You do not have to be nervous, Ki. You'll like this, I promise." He said, winking at her. She blushed, looking out her window.

"This is probably my first actual, adult date Fern, so I'm extremely nervous." She admitted. He reached over and gripped her hand.

"Let me calm your nerves, sweet Kida. This is going to be the sweep you off your feet kind of date." Fern assured her, turning into an empty parking lot. She looked up, her dark eyes hesitant. He smiled, letting go of her hand and getting out of the car.

"Well, my lady, how about a midnight stroll through a secret garden?" He asked as he helped her out. Kida gasped, accepting his arm when he offered it to her.

"A secret garden? Those exist?" Kida asked, stunned by this revelation. Fern chuckled, steering her towards some shrubs.

"Most things exist, Kida, if you look close enough." He said. She nodded, looking up.

"I suppose."

* * *

><p>"Mh…I'm missing you already, Iason." Riki whispered as he pulled back from a soft lip lock with his lover. Iason leaned over and kissed him once more.<p>

"And I, you. Absence makes the heart grow fonder?" He asked. Riki smiled a bittersweet smile, pressing his forehead against Iason's shoulder.

"By the time we get to the point we cannot live apart, I'm going to be so fucking fond of you Iason, it'll be surreal." He sighed. Iason frowned, gripping his hand.

"What do you wish to do, my darling?" He asked, not liking the pain Riki was in. Riki pursed his lips, struggling within himself to open a new can of worms.

"What…if I suggested something crazy?" Riki breathed out nervously. Iason nodded, gripping his hand.

"Go on." The blond encouraged softly, blue eyes fierce. Riki blushed and looked down.

"Would you…like to stay with me tonight?" He asked softly, looking up at Iason from under his lashes. Iason's eyes widened. He beamed.

"Oh Riki, this delights me so. I would love to." He said sincerely. Riki chuckled, reaching out and rubbing his upper arm.

"You do realize that this means that you'll meet my family in the morning right? Including the younger boys and Hitomi, 'cause they spend Saturday with us while Mom and Uncle Minato are in congress." Riki added. Iason shrugged.

"It matters not to me, Riki. I would meet them eventually, yes?" He teased. Riki blushed, looking down at their interlaced hands.

"No sex. I'd be mortified if they heard about you from my moans before I introduced you in person." He added hastily. Iason chuckled, leaning over to kiss his forehead.

"Riki, it does not matter to me. I enjoy you for you, not you're delectable backside." He said tenderly. Riki smiled, leaning back against his seat.

"You're so sweet. Come on. Let's sneak in, grab some grub and alcohol, and then cuddle in my room." He said, unbuckling his seatbelt. Iason nodded. He leaned forward, instructed his driver to leave him here, and then followed Riki out of the car.

* * *

><p>"Oh my god!" Kida gasped, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth. Before her, in the middle of this secret garden, sat a little candlelit table. Fern gently gripped her shoulders, glancing down at her reaction.<p>

"Is this okay? Did I try to hard?" He asked his brown eyes anxious. Kida smiled, turning to look at him.

"Maybe a little. But that's okay. I think it was sweet." She sighed happily. He smiled back, resting his hands on her hips.

"Anytime, my lady." Fern teased. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and they began to sway to some unheard tune.

"So why this sweet gesture? I would have been just as happy with a movie." Fern nodded.

"I know. To be honest, it was more for me than for you. You are the first person I've ever considered seriously. This was how I always dreamed of my first serious date. I'm a hopeless romantic." He admitted. Kida's expression softened.

"That's so…unique. I like that about you, Fern. You are so different from Satoshi and Kiba." She said. He chuckled.

"And that is a good thing?" He asked hopefully. Kida nodded.

"Yup. A very good thing. So, Mr. Unique, what are we eating?" She asked. He blushed, looking away.

"Bologna and cheese sandwiches, lemonade, and Doritos."

* * *

><p>"Fuck, we're out of booze. Want some water or lemonade?" Riki asked Iason as he dug through his refrigerator.<p>

"Water will do." Iason said, standing beside him. Riki nodded, then after handing a bottle to Iason, he retrieved one for himself and pulled back, grinning.

"So what kind of a snack do you want? We have fruit, cereal, chips, and candy." Riki said, going around the kitchen to find his own snack. Iason shrugged and elegant shoulder.

"It matters not to me, Riki. I am not hungry." Iason said. Riki nodded, pulling out a bag of chips.

"Okay. If you change your mind, let me know." He said. Iason nodded. Smiling once more, Riki took his hand and lead him upstairs.

"Sorry about the mess." Riki warned in advance before opening the door. Iason looked around Riki's room as he shut and locked his door.

* * *

><p>Iason lay awake the next morning in Riki's bedroom, watching the man sleeping peacefully under his arm. Watching Riki was his favorite pastime, currently.<p>

"Riki?" A soft voice asked quietly. Iason froze, tightening his grip on the sleeping man beside him as a head of dark hair appeared in his peripheral vision. Little feet shuffled forward, then paused. Iason withheld a sigh when he felt the bed barely dip and little hands patting the blanket. A minute later, a little girl with eyes as black as her hair came into view. She stared at him for a moment, the deciding he wasn't a threat, plopped down onto Riki's side.

"Riki!" She whined again, poking at his cheek. He groaned, ignoring her. She giggled, knowing he would wake soon. "Come on, Ki's makin' breakfast!" She said. Iason watched in amusement as Riki opened one eye and glared at her.

"Hitomi. Stop it." He mumbled, subtly winking at Iason. She pouted.

"Who he?" Hitomi asked, pointing at Iason. Riki smiled softly, poking her cheek.

"That is my boyfriend." Riki said. Hitomi frowned.

"Boys have girlfriends, Riki." She chided. He chuckled and sat up, hauling her into his arms.

"Not this boy, baby girl. Not this boy." He said with a smile. Iason chuckled, discretely squeezing Riki's knee under the covers. Riki smiled.

"Hey, 'Tomi, why don't you and I go and get Yuuri out from under his eternal sleep? Babe, you can go hang out in the kitchen. It's just Ki, so it can't be too bad. She's a sweetie." He assured Iason. His boyfriend raised a silent, skeptical brow, but made his way downstairs anyway.

* * *

><p>Upon entering the kitchen, the blond male froze. Before him stood a woman with short black hair, in a purple bathrobe, feeding her son peaches. The little infant looked like her in nose and cheek structure only. His hair and eyes were red, and he was staring at Iason with a leveled expression.<p>

"Who the hell are you?!" She asked, stepping in front of her infant and grabbing a knife from the knife set beside her. Iason held up his hands, blue eyes wide.

"I apologize for startlingly you. Riki sent me down here." He explained quickly. Kida frowned, lowering her knife, puzzled.

"Why would…oh. _Oh._ I see." She said, grinned, slipping the knife back into its slot and then turned back to her infant who was steadily growing more messy. "You're the boyfriend." She smirked, walking over to the stove. "Please, sit. Is there anything you prefer for breakfast? I make pancakes for the younger kids and French toast for L and Riki. I myself prefer cereal, but my twin brother Oten will want an omelet." She explained.

"I will take the French toast, if it is not much trouble." He said softly. Kida shrugged.

"No trouble. Besides, I want a big family, like my Mom, so I need to get used to this." She said.

"Aw, little Fern jrs will be running around soon?" The trio looked up to see a boy about Kida's age walking in, a shorter one behind him. The first male spared Iason a bored glance, then plopped down next to Aiden. The younger, on the other hand, observed Iason with a cool gaze. It nearly made the blond shiver.

"Who are you?" Iason looked down toward the sound of a young, male voice to find a short boy in front of him, frowning.

"This is Riki's friend, Wataru." Kida said to Wataru. He nodded, then went and sat next to the previously youngest male in the room.

"How was your date with Ferny?" Oten asked. Kida rolled her eyes, though her cheeks lightly flushed.

"It went fine." She said.

"How fine?" The room looked up once again to see Riki standing in the doorway, Hitomi in his arms and Yuuri yawning behind them. Kida glared, looking at him sharply.

"Later. Who is your friend?" She asked. Riki chuckled, sitting Hitomi into her stool beside L, and then gently placed his hands on Iason's shoulders.

"This is Iason, my boyfriend of the last couple months. Iason, these are all of my younger siblings, and nephew. Kida is making our breakfast, Oten is her older twin brother, Aiden is her adorable little baby boy. You already met baby Hitomi, and that leaves the three boys. Yuuri is the oldest, the L is our little sugar monster, and Wataru is our baby." He explained, his arms sliding around to circle Iason's neck. The Uchiha siblings all greeted him in their own ways. He smiled.

"It is nice to meet all of you as well." Iason said softly as Riki sat down next to him.

"Breakfast should be ready in a minute, everyone." Kida announced.

Riki nodded, smiling up at Iason, who returned it.

* * *

><p>"Wow. Fern's super romantic." Riki said, surprised by this fact. Kida chuckled from her spot on the couch beside him. The two were on the couch that evening, the children and Oten all sleeping upstairs. Kane had called an hour ago, letting them know she'd be home soon.<p>

"He is. So, what's Iason like? He seems like a sweetie." Kida asked, nudging Riki with her hand. He chuckled and nodded.

"He is. God, Ki, I love him so much. I know that our family will be pissed off by him, but hon, I want to just be with him always. He's the love of my life." He admitted. Kida smiled, gripping his knee.

"I'm happy for you then, Riki." She said. Rika grinned, relaxing back against the couch.

"So you think its okay to introduce him?" He asked. His little sister nodded.

"Yes. You know what, when we do thanksgiving, how about we bring our guys. Our grandparents haven't met either." She suggested. Riki grinned.

"That'd be great, Ki!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I did the math today. This story will not catch up to our current time until September! My goodness that seems like so far away. Next chapter will feature a lot of family bonding time.

- Kida-Asumi


	8. Family Bonding, September 2012

SEQUEL TO KEEPING TOGETHER

Things to remember:

A) I own all characters who you have never heard of.

B) I do not own the characters from Naruto, Fruits Basket, Crescent Moon, Ai No Kusabi, The Mortal Instruments or Please Teacher, sadly. But that's okay. I'll live.

C) This is a work of **FICTION.** So because of this fact, anything I say goes. No complaining if something below does not make sense. I will be more than happy to explain my logic if you ask me.

D) This is the first part of a six part saga

E) This story covers almost 8 years of the Uchiha siblings' life

F) 55 chapters + a foreword, an epilogue, and a preview for book 3

G) This not a crossover. It is a Naruto AU. It just contains characters from other animes. It focuses on the interactions of my Uchiha family.

**More relevant info to this chapter:** Book 3 is over halfway through my read through! I'm so excited! We're over 220 pages! Soon I can start typing book 4 :D This chapter we explore Riki and Kida's relationships.

**Fic stats: **420 hits, 4 alerts

**Special thanks to:** maxridelover, Snowcloud8, and my sister, AkinaUchiha

Sincerely wishing you all well,

Kida-Asumi, the Captin of Sirius

* * *

><p><em>September 2012<em>

Whistling. Something heard every day. If one in involved with an Uchiha, that just makes it a much more common occurrence.

Take, for instance, Iason Mink and Fern Asumi. The two, as well as their respected Uchiha dates, were at a nearby park. Kida had felt that this would be a good time to let her nearly 1 and half year old son play outside before the cold weather gripped America's east coast for a good 5 months. Riki had agreed, and now the two were running after the little boy all over the playground. They had swung with him in their laps, and gone down the slides. Now they were climbing up and down the play set.

"So has Kane met you yet? Or Itachi?" Iason broke his solid gaze on Riki to stare at his sudden companion. Fern was gazing at him with an even, warm stare, an even warmer smile in place. Iason shook his head.

"No. Riki feels that, as he puts it, 'all hell will break loose' when I meet his older siblings. They are all aware of Amoi Corp, and the things my mother tried to do. I must admit to being a bit anxious about it myself." He said, his naturally soft spoken tone making Fern's smile widen. This blond man was not nearly as intimidating as he looked, just as Kida had said. Fern chuckled, patting Iason's back.

"Well, I suppose that will be the only real problem with Itachi. The company thing. Probably with Minato and Mikoto, too." Fern mused, winking at Aiden when he waved. The boy giggled, and then shrieked when Riki tossed him into the air. "Sasuke should be fine with you; he trusts Riki's judgment more than his sisters, though that is probably because of the male aspect of things. Akina will more than likely be up in arms because of you being a man her brother is sleeping with. The Guy thing really makes her frown at his choice in men. But after hearing Ki and Riki vouch for you, she'll warm up too." He paused, the two watching as Aiden dragged both Kida and Riki up to the slide, then 'shoved' them down it. The two men chuckled as the siblings humored the little red head with indignant complaints.

"Kane, however, will be a major adversary to your relationship." He continued. Iason frowned.

"Why is that?" He asked, looking at the shorter man. Fern shrugged.

"Well, for a couple reasons. First of all, she's his older maternal half sibling, thus she and he share a mutual hatred for their mother. She also was deep into politics with Minato when Amoi began to make trouble in his Presidency. She'll see you as using him, and will only justify herself when Akina begins to side with Riki. You, my friend, will cause a bit of trouble, I'm afraid to admit." He finished grimly. Iason's frown deepened.

"Will things work themselves out?" He asked. Fern nodded.

"Oh yeah. These siblings are bonded too strong to let something like new family members tear them apart. In the end, you'll be accepted. You know, Iason, I think that you'll be the first man to join their family that they'll have issues with. Popo was Kida's harmless friend. Yuki was Ren's father, and his stepping up brought him much respect. Minato was a family friend from Mikoto's childhood. Though, let me assure you, Sakura is resented much more than you will ever be, and for much, much longer." Fern chuckled. Iason allowed himself a small smirk before turning an inquisting brow to the red head.

"And you? What is your story?" He asked. Fern grinned.

"I love telling this story. Aiden was very young, and was quiet fussy when I first laid eyes on her, over a year ago. She was trying to rush out of the store, and forgot her purse. So I grabbed it and ran out after her. When I reached her, it started to rain. Aiden was still screaming, and she looked near tears." He began.

"Then you came out of nowhere and offered me my purse." Kida jumped in. Both of the men looked up at her as she sat down beside Fern, his arm going around her shoulders. "Riki wants to swing with Ai a few more times." She explained, gesturing to her son and brother. The two nodded, and then Fern returned to their tale.

"Then, after helping her into the car, I asked if she could give me a ride to my place. She did, and after that, we just sorta clicked." He finished, squeezing her shoulder. Kida chuckled, leaning forward to scoop Aiden up as he returned to her.

"Yup. We became friends, which I was grateful for, since having Ai had killed off my friends. Granted, I still had the girls and my cousin Ken, but I needed someone I hadn't grown up with. Fern was great. He didn't judge me for Aiden." She said, kissing her son's head. Riki crawled into Iason's arms, listening to the story as well.

"So, eventually, I decided to make her mine. And so now I have." Fern finished. Kida nodded. When Aiden shivered in her arms, and whined about the cold, she stood up.

"Alright, time for me and my baby to go home. Wouldn't want him catching a cold." Kida sighed. Her son clinged to her and yawned. Riki nodded, leaning his cheek against Iason's shoulder.

"I'm going back to Iason's hotel tonight." He explained to his sister. Kida nodded.

"Okay. Bye boys." She said, kissing Fern, then headed towards her car. The three watched her walk off, Fern and Riki waving. Sometime later, Fern left as well. By then, the sun was setting.

"Babe?" Riki broke the silence as they watched the sun dip behind the Earth.

"Yes?" Iason replied, kissing his ear. Riki blushed at the contact, but kept his face forward.

"What were you and Fern talking about?" He asked. When Iason didn't immediately answer, he frowned and turned to stare at him. "Babe?"

"Well…" Iason trailed off, shooting Riki a half grin to let him know everything was okay. "He was explaining what I should expect from your family. Their reactions and such." He admitted. Riki's frown stayed in place, and he moved to cup Iason's cheek. "He assured me that, eventually, all of your siblings will adjust. He said Kane was the one to worry about."

Riki nodded, biting his lower lip.

"Yeah. Kane might turn into a major bitch. I apologize for that in advance. She can be very protective of us, me especially. Still wanna be with me, now that you have another boyfriend's perspective?" He asked. Iason chuckled, kissing his cheek.

"Of course. And, may I remind you that you still have yet to meet any of my family, aside from Raoul. Mother I am worried about. Shall we try and help one another deal with our family members?" He offered, blue eyes shining with amusement. Riki chuckled, his gloomy mood lifting.

"Sure, babe. How about you and I go back to your hotel and catch a late night movie?" Riki asked. Iason agreed, and holding his hand tightly, Riki lead them to Iason's car.

* * *

><p>"Daddy, I got the hot dogs!" Ren cried as she ran from her kitchen, occupied by her mother, Aunt Sakura, and Grandma Lin. Her brothers and cousins were in the living room with their great-great-grandparents.<p>

"Now that's more like it! Come on, Sasuke-bro, let's cook us some dogs." Yuki nudged Sasuke, who stood beside him at the grill, helping with the making of it. Sasuke rolled his eyes and thanked his niece for the meat.

"Princess Lily, let me just tell you that you are my favorite daughter." Yuki said, crouching down next to the four year old. Ren giggled, reaching out to poke his cheek. He turned and nipped at her finger, making her squeal.

"Daddy, I'm your only daughter!" She exclaimed. When Sasuke cleared his throat, Yuki sighed and winked mischievous at the little female version of himself.

"Alrighty, Princess, leave me and the Ice King to the meat. How about you go and see where your Uncle Itachi and Grandpa Jin have huddled off to?" She nodded. Yuki chuckled as his daughter ran back inside and Akina griped at her for the running.

"Really, Yuki, must you hype her before she eats?" Sasuke sighed. Yuki shrugged, smacking his back.

"The more hyper they at, the faster they fall asleep, giving me more time with my Aki. You'll learn that soon enough when your new little guy gets here." Sasuke glared at his chuckling brother-in-law.

"Ugh. Please refrain from talking about your sex life with my _twin sister_." He grumbled. Yuki burst into laughter and shook his head.

"Man, I hope this new baby will loosen you up." Yuki said. Shaking his head, Sasuke returned to the meat.

"Aw, how cute! Zinan has started to do the same thing." Akina said, smiling at her sister in law. Sakura nodded, stirring the noodles in the pot she had. The phone had rung, and Lin had stepped out to take the call.

"It is! Gosh, Akina, in just a few months Keiji will be a year old! Time sure has flown by." She sighed sadly. Akina sent her a sympathetic nod.

"Tell me about it. In a few months, Ren will be 5. 5! That's half a decade. Then she'll start kindergarten about a year from now, and I'll just have the boys." She said. Sakura reached over and gripped her shoulder.

"We'll just have to get through it together." She said determination in her green eyes. Akina grinned and nodded.

"Together."

* * *

><p>Liz Uchiha, her once blond hair now white as snow, chuckled softly as the youngest two members of her family shared a toy truck. When her spouse brushed a strand of her hair from her cheek, she turned to him with a smile.<p>

"Kosuke." She murmured, leaning in to kiss him. He returned her kiss, and then leaned back again.

"Liz. When I die, don't forget to introduce him to our family." Kosuke murmured. Liz frowned, gently touching his cheek.

"What the hell?" She asked softly, not wanting the young boys on the floor picking up her language. Kosuke chuckled at her bothered expression, and squeezed her hand.

"Calm down, Liz. I just thought that I should remind you. Keiji just sent Zinan one of Sebastian's glares." He explained. Liz gasped, turning to look at the infant. He was indeed glaring at his cousin, obviously unhappy. Her eyes softened.

Their legacy had, once again, been successfully passed down. How long would it go? She thought bitterly to herself.

"Dinner is ready, everyone!" Akina called out from the kitchen. Zinan looked up at the sound of her voice, his face scrunching up when he didn't see her.

"Ma!" He shrieked, pulling himself to his feet. Akina appeared in the room, smiling at her youngest.

"Are you hungry, Zi?" She asked, walking over to scoop him up. He gripped onto her shirt, smiling up at her. Liz chuckled, disentangling herself from her spouse. Akina handed her Zinan, then helped Kosuke get to his feet. His wheelchair was only needed when he was going to do a lot of standing or walking, which mainly happened during large family gatherings.

"Keiji! Did Aunt Akina forget about you?" The occupants of the room looked up as Lin came downstairs, Yukio at her heels. Jin, Ginkai, and Itachi followed close behind. Keiji grinned at her, quickly crawling over. Lin picked him up as Akina took her son back as well.

"Are you guys coming or what?" Yuki asked, sticking his head into the living room. Akina rolled her eyes, and Ren raced down the stairs.

"I am, Daddy!" She exclaimed, running to her father. Yukio quickly followed. As the others walked into the room as well, Jin chuckled.

"Such a lively bunch, eh Itachi?" Jin asked his grandson. Itachi nodded, his hand gripping his son's shoulder as they brought up the rear.

Inside of the dining room, his family was sitting down. His expression softened as he noted his twin siblings wearing identical annoyed expressions, cause by Yuki's antics. Despite that, they were both happy.

Neither would admit how much of a change this was from last year, he knew. When both were bitter and angry with Sakura and tensions were running high. How relieved the oldest child of Fugaku Uchiha was to see his family finally at some semblance of peace.

"Dad?" Ginkai questioned his father, wondering why they were still standing. Itachi sighed, shooting Ginkai a small smirk.

"Let's go eat, son." He said, guiding his child to the table. Ginkai murmured his agreement, and then sat down next to Yukio. Itachi sat down next to him, and then glanced around the table at the happy faces.

He hoped this peace would last.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** One of my favorite chapters from this book. Oh how big my babies are getting! See you all in two weeks ;)

- Kida-Asumi


	9. Thanksgiving November 2012

SEQUEL TO KEEPING TOGETHER

Things to remember:

A) I own all characters who you have never heard of.

B) I do not own the characters from Naruto, Fruits Basket, Crescent Moon, Ai No Kusabi, The Mortal Instruments or Please Teacher, sadly. But that's okay. I'll live.

C) This is a work of **FICTION.** So because of this fact, anything I say goes. No complaining if something below does not make sense. I will be more than happy to explain my logic if you ask me.

D) This is the first part of a six part saga

E) This story covers almost 8 years of the Uchiha siblings' life

F) 55 chapters + a foreword, an epilogue, and a preview for book 3

G) This not a crossover. It is a Naruto AU. It just contains characters from other animes. It focuses on the interactions of my Uchiha family.

**More relevant info to this chapter:** Book 3 is over halfway through my read through! This chapter we look at the family at Thanksgiving time. The family also is introduced to Fern and Iason. Drama ensues ;)

**Fic stats: **420 hits, 4 alerts

**Special thanks to:** maxridelover, Snowcloud8, and my sister, AkinaUchiha

Sincerely wishing you all well,

Kida-Asumi, the Captin of Sirius

* * *

><p><em>November 2012<em>

"Akina, I'm taking the kiddos and going out to the garage to play!" Yuki called, swooping over the back of the couch to kiss her cheek. Akina rolled her eyes, turning to kiss his mouth.

"Don't do anything stupid." She murmured. He winked, making Mahiru giggle.

"Bye, Mommy!" Ren called, Saiyumi following after her as the two followed Yuki.

"He is so good with them." Mahiru commented. Akina nodded, sipping on her tea.

It was Thanksgiving once again, and this year Kida wanted to host it. So Akina and the family had driven down to Virginia. Both sets of her Uchiha grandparents were in their bedrooms, freshening up. Their brothers and Mitsuru were probably in the living room, watching a game.

It was early afternoon; the ladies were in the kitchen. Kane was monitoring the turkey as Kida made her pies.

Mahiru and Akina's couch was underneath the window opposite the stove, beside the backdoor. It had been Oten's idea, and he and Riki moved it in. Despite its size, the kitchen still had a lot of room.

Their Kagarashi relatives would not be joining them, they had been informed. They all had plans. Mikoto, Obito, and their youngest would be the only ones able to join them, seeing as Rin and Minato were with Jechiro and Kiyoshi this year. While Obito and Izuna would be leaving at five, Mikoto too, the boys and Hitomi would remain for the night.

"Did Miya call and say when she and Ken would be here?" Kida asked Sakura as she entered the kitchen, her nearly 7 month pregnant belly leading the way. Sakura nodded, sitting down next to Akina.

"Yes. She and Ken just picked up Jo and Meems. She said Meems is irritated too." She added. Kane chuckled, shaking her head.

"Carrying twins does make a person short tempered. Thank god I won't have any." Kane breathed. Her sisters, Mahiru and Sakura all frowned.

"Why?" They all asked together. She grinned.

"First off, my mother wasn't a twin. Second, you two are both twins, Sakura you have a set of twin Aunts and are married to a twin, and Mahiru, your mother was a twin. It's all in the maternal genes." She teased. Akina rolled her eyes.

"Kane, that was complete and utter bullshit, and you know it." She grumbled. Kane chuckled, shaking her head.

"Think what you want, sister of mine, but when you, or you three, get pregnant next time, it'll be with twins." She said with a wink as she bent to check on the turkey again. Mahiru and Sakura gulped, but Akina rolled her eyes.

* * *

><p>"Ugh, fuck all of you." Riki grumbled, passing out the money he owed his smug brothers a couple of hours later.<p>

"We told not to bet on them." Sasuke chuckled. When Popo appeared, they all stared at him.

"'Sup, Po?" Oten asked. Popo nodded at him, and then showed Riki something he had typed into his iPad - his newest mean of communication. After reading it, Riki grinned.

"Sweet! Thanks Po. Send Ki and Ai to us. Also, send in everyone except for the kids, including the younger boys because they've already met." He said. Popo nodded, and then left. Winking at his brothers, Riki went to the front porch.

* * *

><p>"Baby! Fern." He said, hugging Iason and patting Fern on the shoulder. Iason kissed him, smiling softly.<p>

"Riki." He returned the greeting. Kida appeared minutes later, Aiden on her hip. Her son glared at her for being taken out in the cold, and he huddled against her warmth.

"Fern!" Kida exclaimed, hugging him. He returned her embrace, kissing her as well. She giggled as she pulled back, and shot Iason a smile.

"Hey Iason. Ready for some awkward introductions?" She asked. Iason shrugged, wrapping his arms around Riki's waist.

"It is a must, so it is not really a matter of being ready." He replied. The other three chuckled.

"Well, I'm going to go in with Fern first, since all of our siblings know him. It's just grandma and grandpa who need to meet him, as well as Ken, Miya, and my other cousins." She explained. Iason nodded, expression smoothing into a poker face.

"Cold, Mama!" Aiden protested, his hands sliding onto Fern's neck, who jumped. Kida chuckled, and then opened the door to the house.

* * *

><p>"Guys, I'd like for those of you who haven't yet had this opportunity, to meet my boyfriend, Fern Asumi. Fern, this is my Uchiha family." Kida said, beaming. Lin grinned, walking forward to hug him.<p>

"Hello!" She squealed, embracing her youngest granddaughter's boyfriend. Fern hugged her back.

"It is very nice to meet you." He said, waving at the others over her shoulder.

"Fer!" Aiden grumbled, reaching for his mother's boyfriend. Lin let him go, and then shoved him towards Liz, who hugged him as well.

"Guys, give the boy some breathing room." Jin teased. Liz pouted, releasing him.

"You're no fun, Jin." She said. He shrugged, offering his hand to Fern.

"He's cute!" Miyako whispered in Kida's ear as Ken took Fern's hand next. Kida nodded.

"Tell me about it. He's a real sweetie too."

"Welcome to the family, boy." Kosuke said, gripping his hand. Fern nodded.

"Thank you." He said, returning to Kida's side. She gripped his hand, smiling.

"Now can we meet Riki's?" Akina asked, leaning back against Yuki. Sasuke nodded his agreement, Sakura in his arm. Kida nodded.

"Sure! Riki, we're ready for you." She said.

Riki shot Iason a smile, and gripped his hand.

"Ready?" He asked. Iason nodded.

"Of course. Let us get it over with." Iason teased. Riki chuckled, though couldn't help but feel nervous. Showing Iason to his relatives would be easy.

It was his siblings he was nervous about. Taking a deep breath, Riki led Iason into the room.

Silence. Never a good thing at an Uchiha family gathering.

_Thank god Iason is a businessman and can keep his cool. It'd suck if we both lost it._ Riki thought, eyes scanning around the room.

"Riki…you're with Iason Mink?" Akina asked, confused.

"Darling?" Mikoto stood up, her expression as confused as Akina's.

"What the hell, Riki?" Kane asked, glaring at the blond. His family had nearly fucked up everything that they had.

"Fern, Iason, why don't we go and play with the kids?" Liz spoke up, standing up. Fern nodded the after gripping Iason's shoulder, kissed Kida's cheek and took Aiden.

"Try and take them outside. It's going to get loud. Don't let them in until I come and get you guys." Kida whispered. Fern nodded, and then the two men followed Liz out of the room. They didn't need to be caught in the hateful words that were about to be exchanged.

"What do you mean, Kane?" Riki replied, standing his ground.

"Yeah, what's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke asked, helping his wife sit down before walking over to Riki's side. Kida also joined him.

"Iason Mink Riki? Really?" She asked, glaring.

"Dude, I agree. He, like, nearly screwed up this country." Oten chimed in.

"Are you sure he won't hurt you, or make you leave us?" Akina asked. Yuki squeezed her shoulders, frowning - a rare sight. Riki took a calming breath, and let it out slowly through his nose.

"Akina, I promise it's not like that. We've not talked about anything after he meets you guys." He said, deciding to focus on his middle sister first. "Mom, Oten, that was his mother, not him. He had no say in foreign relations. His job was strictly protocol and money or some shit like that." Riki addressed the next two.

"So he's not going to steal our companies?" Kosuke asked, Lin pale beside him from the thought. Those were companies that had taken three generations to build. Riki shook his head.

"No. He's pretty busy with that war over in Europe, anyway." He assured them. Akina and Lin both let out sighs of relief, both visibly relaxing.

"I will want it written in the pre-nups that he cannot have any part of your company assets." Itachi said. The room seemed to freeze.

"What?!" They all exclaimed, looking at the eldest Uchiha brother.

"You're getting married, Riki?" Mimi asked, frowning in confusion.

"Don't jump the gun Itachi!" Mitsuru exclaimed. Riki blushed as Sasuke and Akina both stared at him.

"No, like I said, we've not talked about anything farther than meeting you guys." He mumbled, embarrassed.

"I don't care. Apples never fall far from their trees, Riki." Kane said stubbornly. Riki glared.

"He's not like her, Kane!" He exclaimed. "God, he's a good man, you heartless bitch." He said. The women in the room gasped, and the majority of them men's eyes widened, except for Oten, Obito, and Jo, who's mouths dropped.

* * *

><p>"Sorry about not introducing myself earlier, Iason. My name is Elizabeth Uchiha. You can call my Grandma Liz." She said, offering him her hand as they walked towards the garage. He shook it, smiling.<p>

"It is very nice to meet you." He said. She grinned, patting his back. She then did the same to Fern.

"You boys are both great catches." She said with confidence. Fern frowned.

"How do you know that I'm not a pirate trying to steal your family heirlooms?" He asked, half-joking. Liz chuckled, shaking her head.

"Because I married into this family, boys, with a less than great reputation and a three year old child who looked nothing like me, except for my chin structure." She said.

"Ma'am, I must admit that I think your logic is flawed." Fern said. Liz chuckled again, and winked at Iason.

"At least know that we hate Sakura more than we could ever hate you." She informed him. Iason nodded, smiling slightly.

"So I have been told…by the 'pirate.'" He said, making both Fern and Liz burst into laughter.

* * *

><p>"What did you just call me?" Kane snarled. Riki met her glare with one of his own.<p>

"I called you a heartless bitch, because you are one. You have no room to give me relationship advice." He said. Kane rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, Riki, everyone needs to give you advice. Look what happened with your last boyfriend." She said.

"Says the woman who hasn't had a man in years. You know, most people of the male variety don't enjoy dragon ladies." He snapped back. Kane glared.

"You ungrateful bastard! Do you not even care what this will do to your family?! Getting involved with him will be a mistake, mark my words." She said.

"How the fuck do you know? You've never met the man! He's a good guy Kane, and he wouldn't hurt my family. Hell, we don't even talk about business when we're together." He said, glaring. Kane snorted, rolling her eyes.

"I bet you don't. Can't very well talk about the latest tax cuts while he's ramming you into the bed, now can he?" She said.

"Kane!" Akina protested, glaring at her sister as Riki stepped back as if she had hit him. Sasuke squeezed her shoulder, glaring at her. "When the fuck did you get the idea you could say something like that to Riki?" She demanded. Kane turned her attention to Akina.

"Since I was born before the both of you Akina. What, you think that since you have a higher social status than I do that you can just speak up and I'll bow down to you? No fucking way! I have just as much of a right to protest this disaster as the rest of you." She said. Akina gasped, and then lunged towards Kane. Yuki caught her before she could slap her sister.

"ENOUGH!"

The room stilled their hearts all pounding as Kosuke rose from his wheel chair.

"That is enough." He said. "Today is a day of thanks. That is what we must focus on. Tomorrow we can focus on whether or not Riki's love life will bring about the end of the world. Today, however, you will all ignore this topic. Also, he will be treated as our guest. Sometimes, we must bite the bullet and deal with less than appealing situations." He said, staring at Kane. "Now I am quite hungry. Kida, is the food ready yet?" He asked. She nodded.

"Yes, it should be about finished. I'll go and check. Akina, Mom, Mahiru, Grandma Lin, why don't you come with me?" She asked. "Riki and Yuki please go and help the kids wash their hands. The rest of you, I have a very nice flat screen that is feeling very neglected." She said with a wink. The room chuckled, and instantly the tense atmosphere was greatly lightened. Yuki stood, made a show of kissing his wife, and then walked over to Riki.

"Come on, bro. Let's go and get an unintentional bath from the kids." He said. Riki nodded. Sasuke watched him go with a frown.

* * *

><p>"Ah, Riki." Iason murmured as he entered the room. Riki shot him a weak smile, walking into his embrace.<p>

"What happened, Riki dear?" Liz asked, frowning.

"Hey, Riki, will you make sure that no one is blocking our driveway?" Yuki asked. Fern and Liz both gave him quizzical looks. Riki nodded eyes downcast.

"Yeah. Come on Iason." He said, gripping his hand. Iason nodded, and then turned to Liz.

"It was nice to meet you, Grandmother Liz." He said. Liz burst out laughing at the awkward statement.

"Oh Iason, it was nice meeting you too." She said. As the two walked away, Liz turned to Yuki.

"Why is Riki so put out?" She asked. Yuki sighed, scooping up his one year old son.

"Oh Kane was just being a major freak of nature." He said, trying to convey his annoyance with his sister-in-law I a way that would not be repeated. Liz gasped, shaking her head.

"Oh dear. Well, shall we clean the children?" She asked him. He nodded, holding Zinan away from him and wrinkling his nose in mock disgust.

"Yup. This one needs a new diaper because he is a sti-inky boy." He said. Zinan laughed, reaching out to touch his father's cheeks. Liz and Fern laughed, and then set about rounding up the kids and sending them to the bathrooms.

* * *

><p>"Whatever is the matter, Riki?" Iason asked his boyfriend as they walked behind the house. Riki shook his head, stopping. Iason paused, squeezing his hand.<p>

"Oh baby." Riki whispered, voice cracking. Iason frowned as he buried his face in his chest. The blonde embraced him, resting his chin against the top of Riki's head.

"It will be alright, my darling." Riki shook his head, throwing his arms around Iason's waist.

"It won't! Kane said the most awful things. God, I wish I knew why she hated you so much." He said softly, voice hitching. Iason shook his head, tightening his grip.

"The world may never know, my love." He said. Riki froze. He pulled back, frowning.

"'My love?'" He asked, repeating the phrase. Iason cocked his head to the side, studying Riki's face.

"Is that not how I should refer to the love of my life?" He asked, trying to understand Riki's problem. Riki's eyes widened.

"You love me?" He asked. Iason frowned, cupping his face.

"Yes, of course, Riki. I have loved you for a long time. This surprises you?" He asked. Riki grinned, throwing his arms around his neck and kissing him. He pulled back, laughing.

"Iason, you've never told that before! How can I know something if you don't tell me?" He asked, chuckling. Iason frowned.

"I have not told you? Oh my, how unfortunate." He said, bothered by this fact. Honestly, if this had been prolonged further, what sort of problems might have occurred? Riki chuckled, kissing him again.

"Don't sweat it, babe. For the record, I love you too." He said, pulling their bodies together. Iason wrapped his arms around Riki's waist, giving him a kiss in return.

"This pleases me, Riki. I suppose we should both consider ourselves a bit…spacey at times?" He asked. Riki chuckled again, staring up at Iason's handsome face.

"Yeah, we can be a pair of airheads. Now, sexy, why don't we go and eat? I've not eaten all day and my stomach feels as if it is about to eat itself." He declared. Iason chuckled, nodding.

"Well then, let us go." He said.

* * *

><p>"I am not wrong about this Itachi." Kane said to her older brother that night as they sat out on the porch, watching Ginkai and their brothers chase fireflies with the younger kids. Itachi sighed, shaking his head.<p>

"I don't think you are wrong on all accounts, Kane, but you shouldn't have prophesized this relationship's demise. It may turn out to be something great." He said with a shrug. Kane snorted.

"Whatever. When it fails, I don't wanna hear his complaining. Night." She said shortly, standing up and walking out of the room. Itachi sighed, shaking his head.

"Uncle Itachi, looking what I caught!" He looked up as his only niece came running up the steps. He hid a smile as he noticed a faint light coming between her hands.

"Can Daddy see too, Princess Lily?" The two looked up to find Yuki exiting the house, baby Zinan clinging to his neck. Ren beamed, hoping up onto the seat beside Itachi.

"Okay." She agreed. Yuki sat down on her other side, letting Zinan walk around the porch. Both he and Itachi leaned in slightly to look at the bug in her hands. Ren gently slit her hands apart, just enough for them to see it, and still not let the insect escape.

"Oh wow, how pretty. Mom was a total germ-a-phobe, so I've never actually seen one this close up before." He said. Itachi chuckled, sitting back up.

"My brothers used to dare each other to eat them." He said. Ren grinned devilishly, looking at Zinan.

"Not so fast, young lady. Don't think that Mom can't see that wicked smile on your face."

"Mama!" Zinan called, running over to Akina as she walked outside. Akina picked him up, grinning at him before kissing his cheek. He grinned back, hugging her.

"No daring your brothers into eating bugs." She said to her daughter.

"Aw, you're no fun, Mom." Yuki said, standing up. Akina tried to act annoyed as he walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling their hips together, but she couldn't hold back the grin.

"Someone has to be the killjoy." She said, shrugging. He chuckled, leaning in to kiss her. Ren rolled her eyes at her parents' public displays of affection.

"Yuck!" Zinan complained between them. Yuki chuckled, kissing the baby's forehead.

"Someday, little man, when you find the right woman, you won't think that. Just promise Dad that she's as hot as Mom." He said with a wink. Akina smacked her shoulder, but chuckled with him.

"Kids, let's get you washed up!" Kida called out from the front door. The boys in the yard groaned. Itachi chuckled and stood up, walking over to wrap an arm around Kida's shoulders.

"Looks like this turned out to be a nice day after all." Kida commented to Itachi. He nodded, squeezing her shoulder.

"Indeed."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Cute family bonding stuff, with a taste of drama ;)

- Kida-Asumi


	10. Riki's Decision December 2012

SEQUEL TO KEEPING TOGETHER

Things to remember:

A) I own all characters who you have never heard of.

B) I do not own the characters from Naruto, Fruits Basket, Crescent Moon, Ai No Kusabi, The Mortal Instruments or Please Teacher, sadly. But that's okay. I'll live.

C) This is a work of **FICTION.** So because of this fact, anything I say goes. No complaining if something below does not make sense. I will be more than happy to explain my logic if you ask me.

D) This is the first part of a six part saga

E) This story covers almost 8 years of the Uchiha siblings' life

F) 55 chapters + a foreword, an epilogue, and a preview for book 3

G) This not a crossover. It is a Naruto AU. It just contains characters from other animes. It focuses on the interactions of my Uchiha family.

**More relevant info to this chapter:** Book 3 is over halfway through my read through! I'm so excited! More relationship things this chapter, and a decision is made ;)

**Fic stats: **420 hits, 4 alerts

**Special thanks to:** maxridelover, Snowcloud8, and my sister, AkinaUchiha

Sincerely wishing you all well,

Kida-Asumi, the Captin of Sirius

* * *

><p>"Where are you going, Mr. Hot-Stuff?" Kida asked as she stepped out from Aiden's nursery, her son on her hip. Aiden waved to Riki, grinning. Riki returned his grin nervously.<p>

"I'm uh…going to this Gala Iason is throwing." He muttered. Kida grinned wickedly.

"Oh? I thought you hated those 'darned stiff necked monkey suit required' outings." She pointed out. Riki glared.

"Look, don't start with me, Ki. These are his associates, so I have no idea what's expected of me, and I'm freaking out. And I'd like to call Kane, but that stupid wench is ignoring me." He sighed.

"I told you not to stress, Riki." The Uchiha siblings looked over the stairwell to find Katze standing at the foot of the stairs. Kida beamed.

"Katze! It's been so long!" She giggled, walking downstairs swiftly to hug him. He returned her hug, studying her baby.

"He's gotten so big, Ki, gosh. Hi little Aiden." He greeted the baby. Aiden smiled, nuzzling Kida's face in a shy manner. Kida chuckled, rubbing her son's back.

"Katze, how can I not be freaking out? Iason and I have never been out, officially, in public!" Riki grumped. Katze rolled his eyes, patting his shoulder.

"Calm down, you'll be fine. We'll be together the entire time, so I can fill you in on things as they come up. Just be polite and well mannered." He said. Riki sighed, slumping forward. Kida chuckled, shaking her head.

"It'll be fine, Riki." Kida assured him. When the doorbell rang minutes later, Kida pushed past the two and went to answer it. Behind it stood Iason, Raoul, and Fern. She grinned, hugging Fern and kissing him.

"Hey Kida. Hi Aiden." He said, taking the infant from Kida so she could hug Iason. Iason returned her hug, and then turned to his brother.

"This is Kida Uchiha, Riki's little sister. Fern is holding her son, Aiden." Iason introduced them to his brother. They had met Fern on the porch.

"Kida, this is Raoul, Iason's brother." Katze said, walking over to them. Raoul took his hand, bringing it to his lips.

"Katze…you look simply fabulous!" He declared. Katze blushed.

"Thanks Raoul. You look good too." He said, lightly punching his shoulder. Raoul grinned, the caught his chin and pulled his face forward to lock their lips together. Katze pulled back, his cheeks and ears turning as red as his hair. Kida beamed, leaning against Fern.

"Oh, you two are so cute!" She exclaimed. Riki chuckled, ruffling her hair as he walked over as well.

"Hey baby." He greeted Iason, leaning up to kiss him. Iason returned the kiss and took his hand.

"You look wonderful, Riki." He breathed. Riki chuckled nervously, gripping his hand.

"We're gonna leave you guys." Fern said. Kida waved as he shut the door.

* * *

><p>"Riki?" Iason murmured softly in Riki's ear as they broke away from yet another circle of clients. Ever since they had arrived, he and Iason had set about greeting the guests. Riki rarely understood the conversations, but that didn't seem to matter as he was rarely addressed with questions about them. Instead, he would be asked about myths from around the world about the American lifestyle.<p>

"Yeah?" Riki asked, accepting Iason's arm when it was offered to him.

"I was just signaled that dinner is now ready. Would you like to eat?" He asked, leading him towards a group of tables. Riki nodded, shooting him a small smile.

"Sure, why not." He said, gripping Iason's arm. His boyfriend frowned.

"All is well, I hope." Iason commented, pulling out his chair for him. Riki nodded, sighing.

"Yeah, it's cool. I'll tell you later, okay?" He offered, taking Iason's had once he was seated. Iason nodded, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

The dinner went smoothly, Riki thought. The food was as bad as he thought it might be, seeing as he had always been a finicky eater, and Iason's and Raoul brotherly banter made the meal feel homely.

But he'd be lying if he claimed to be perfectly at ease with this event. Iason seemed to sense this, and had kept a careful eye on Riki all night.

"So, Lord Iason, how do you think it will feel to be returning full time to Germany? After all, now that the negotiations with America have finished what else if left for you here?" Lord Acherman asked, chuckling softly. Riki froze, his mouth dropping open.

"What?" He asked Iason bluntly. Iason smiled at his associate, after saying a quick goodbye, ushered Riki out onto the balcony.

"Riki -" Iason began as Riki jerked away from him. Behind them, Katze and Raoul were nonchalantly covering Iason's disappearance.

"You're fucking leaving tomorrow?" Riki bit out harshly. "Why the fuck wasn't I informed?" He snarled.

"Riki, please -" Iason said, placing his hands on Riki's shoulders. Riki growled, jerking away.

"Don't touch me." He said. Iason sighed, keeping his distance.

"I love you, Riki." Iason said softly. Riki bit his lip, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Why?" He asked, reaching out for Iason. His boyfriend frowned, pulling him into his arms.

"I am so sorry for not mentioning it sooner. There is no excuse." He admitted. Riki sniffled, curling closer. "Worry not, my love. It is only because my visa has unfortunately run out. I must return until it is working again. This is not me abandoning you, Riki." Iason pointed out, cupping his face. Riki's tear flowed over the warm hands, and his own hands shook.

"I…I can't stand this. I don't want to lose you." He sobbed. Iason would later swear that in that moment, he felt his heart breaking. He pulled Riki into his arms once more, resting his chin atop his head.

"My darling, you are not losing me. We can communicate through various means. Riki, I want this union to continue. Do you not believe me when I say this?" Iason asked, looking down at Riki's heartbroken face. Riki nodded reluctantly, tightening his grip.

"But, you're returning home tomorrow. I can't deal with long distance relationships." Riki sighed softly. Iason kissed his forehead.

"Then I shall go and return as quickly as possible." Iason suggested. "You know, my love, we could even make arrangements for you to move out with me. Not now, but soon." He promised. Riki looked up at him longingly. God that sounded like a good idea. A fucking brilliant one.

However…

"I love you so much, baby. So much. It's just…my family is here. They need me. God, I wish I could just runaway again." He sighed. Iason frowned at the thought.

"You know you cannot. They could not take losing you again. Perhaps you should talk to them about moving out. You are legal." He added. Riki nodded, frowning as well.

"Hold me baby. Just hold me." Riki said, his heart torn between this man and his family. Iason gently pulled him close, resting his chin on top of his head.

"Very well then. When you make a final decision, let me know." He said. Riki nodded. For now, he simply curled into his arms, letting his heartbeat soothe him.

* * *

><p>"I'll miss you." Riki sighed against Iason's lips. Iason held him in his arms on the front porch to Riki's house.<p>

"I will miss you as well. Are you sure you do not wish to stay with me until I must go?" He asked one last time. Riki nodded, biting his lip.

"No. But I also know that if I do, I will turn into a terrible, sobbing brat and you wouldn't be able to get anything done." He muttered. Iason smiled sadly, kissing his forehead.

"Riki, darling, what makes you think that would stop me from working? I can work around sobbing brats." He teased. Riki snorted, reaching up to kiss him again.

"Call me before you fall asleep, and then again before your flight leaves, and make sure to call me when it lands, and -" Riki was cut off by Iason kissing him once more.

"Riki, darling, I will call you." He promised. Riki smiled, hugging him.

"I love you, Iason." He said. Iason nodded, expression softening.

"And I love you, my Riki." He said. Riki blushed.

"Yours, huh?" He asked, grinning. Iason nodded.

"Yes. Mine." He replied, nonchalant. Riki chuckled, leaning up to kiss him.

"I think a guy could get used to a possessive hunk of man." He said. Iason chuckled, kissing his nose.

"I must really be going now." He said. Riki nodded, frowning.

"Kay. Be safe." He said. Iason nodded.

"I will." He promised. Sighing, Riki stepped away. He quietly entered the house, and shut the door.

* * *

><p>"So why are you all sitting in the living room?" Riki asked. Kida shrugged.<p>

"No real reason." She said. Itachi chuckled at her side. Yuki yawned, head in Akina's lap. Oten sat on the floor with Hitomi and the younger boys. Sasuke and Kane stood by the fireplace, discussing some business deal. Rolling his eyes, Riki sank to the floor as well.

"We need to talk." He said softly. His siblings looked at him, their curiosity evident.

"What about, Riki?" Akina asked, her hand sliding from Yuki's hair as he sat up. Out of the corner of his eye, Riki spotted Sakura slipping into the room from the kitchen, and sink down into the rocking chair.

"I…want to move." He said, hesitating. Hitomi frowned.

"Move with Sasuke?" She asked. Riki chuckled sadly, shaking his head.

"No, baby girl. No. Not with Sasuke, or Mommy." He said, ruffling her hair.

"Then to Germany, right?" Wataru asked, sitting up. He had been lying on the floor, watching L play a game of spider solitaire. Riki nodded.

"No way in hell." Kane said simply, turning to her brother. Riki ignored her, sighing.

"I know that the majority of you are young, and haven't experienced true love yet, but that's what I have with Iason. When that kind of love comes along, you grab it and keep it real close." He said. Akina nodded, squeezing Yuki's hand.

"Why the need to move, though?" Oten asked. Riki frowned, grimacing.

"Iason…has to return there for a minimum of six months, without a leave. He needs to renew his visa. I found out about this tonight."

"Tonight?" L asked softly, frowning. Riki nodded, pressing his chin into the palm of his hand.

"Yup. God, six freaking months without him. It hurts guys. It really hurts." He whispered, cringing. As Sasuke and Akina sent him sympathetic gazes, Kane rolled her eyes.

"Wah, wah. Who cares, Riki? If he really loved you, then he would have told you sooner." She snorted. Riki's eyes snapped open, and he rose to his feet.

"How come he has to stay gone for six months?" Yuuri asked, hoping to stop the upcoming fight. Quietly, L began to explain the way that international visa's worked to his siblings on the floor.

"Let's get some fresh air, guys." Sakura suggested, standing up. The older siblings nodded, and together they walked outside. Only Oten remained, deciding that another bitch fight between Kane and Riki would just be a waste of time.

"Really Kane, you wanna do this now?" Akina asked, annoyed by her older sister's impractical timing. Kane glared.

"I'm trying to stop this idiot from running off with some stupid man who will just screw him over! Is that so wrong?" She asked.

"It is if you are falsely accusing said man! From what I've seen and heard, from both Riki and Kida, Iason is a good man. Even L approves, and you know how good his sense of character is." She pointed out. Kane rolled her eyes.

"And if I decide to go ahead and move, who's to stop me? I'm a legal adult, who can make his own decisions. What the fuck's it to you, Kane?" Riki asked. Kane turned her attention to Riki.

"I fucking love you and want you safe! Is that too much to ask for?" She demanded.

"Of course not Kane. We all want that." Sasuke said, Sakura leaning against him.

"We also want him happy. I don't know about you, Kane, but I was not planning on spending the New Year with my boyfriend and my moping and depressed older brother." Kida spoke up. Kane sneered at her.

"Always about you, isn't it Kida?" She asked. Kida's eyes widened, and she stepped back. Itachi frowned at Kane.

"That is quite enough, Kane." Sasuke said, rising to his full height. She rolled her eyes.

"Who the fuck died and left you in charge?" She asked.

"Our father. When it comes to things like this, Kane, Sasuke and I have the final say." Akina said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Sakura, go and find out what flight Iason is on and get Riki on it. Call Katze if you have to." Sasuke said softly, kissing her temple.

"Yuki, go and make sure his passport will hold for at least 6 months." Akina said to her husband behind her. Kane's jaw dropped.

"Y-you can't seriously be giving him permission for something like this?!" She gasped, outraged.

"We are, Kane. Part of us leading this family is us deciding when to allow our members to leave the country, while also getting them an international fund." Sasuke said. "Kida, contact our accountant and have him set up a nice sum of money for Riki in our German bank. Tell Oten to contact my secretary and have her know that Riki will be temporarily taking over for me in the German offices. Tell her it's because of my new son." He added, winking at his brother.

"Riki, go and pack a bag of clothes for at least two weeks. I'll have Kida mail you more later." Akina said softly, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"This is unfucking believable. I can't even look at you people anymore. I'm out of here." Kane growled, stomping off to her car. Her siblings watched her go, shaking their heads.

"Are you guys serious?" Riki asked. Akina smiled, hugging him.

"Oh course we are. Riki, as much as this is a surprise to you, Itachi and L told Sasuke and I that this situation may arise." She said.

"We're sorry Riki, but even after meeting Iason personally, we were worried about any trouble that might come from the relationship. Itachi and L looked into the different scenarios, and Akina and I decided that your relationship was moderately safe." Sasuke added.

"You didn't honestly think that we'd welcome a foreign citizen into our folds so easily, did you?" Akina finished with a wink. Riki let out a short chuckled, his eyes watering.

"I love you guys." He said, pulling them into his arms. The twins returned his embrace, sharing a smile behind his head. As they broke apart, Akina and Sasuke grew serious.

"We're going to go and see how things are going." Akina informed him. Riki nodded, waving as they walked back inside. However, this left him alone with his stoic oldest brother.

"Itachi?" Riki asked cautiously. "What about you? Do you support this?" He asked, wanting to know if he truly supported it, or was silent during the spat to stay out of it.

Itachi shrugged, studying Riki for a minute.

"I have only one question for you, Riki." He said. Riki nodded earnestly, wanting to clarify whatever his brother was unsure of.

"How are you not shivering when it must be 20 degrees outside?"

Riki did a double-take. Looking down, Riki gasped to find himself jacketless in about 4 inches on snow. Chuckling, he shook his head.

"I'm not the brightest Uchiha man around, Itachi." He said, nodding towards the porch. Itachi returned his chuckle, and together they walked back to the house. Before they entered the house, however, Itachi gently touched his shoulder.

"Let Iason know that we you return, it will be for Hitomi's third birthday. He can bring her a dress of some sort." Riki's eyes widened as his brother's grew warm. Itachi stared at him for a moment, and then ruffled his hair. Nodding, Itachi returned inside. As the door swung shut behind him, Riki grinned.

To have Itachi accept Iason openly meant a hell of a lot.

Especially since Iason was once a major enemy of there, intentional or not.

And Itachi Uchiha was famous for holding grudges.

* * *

><p>"Iason, your phone is ringing." Katze said, sticking his head into Iason's bedroom of the condo he and Raoul had rented. Iason nodded, shooting Katze a tired smile.<p>

"Thank you, Katze. Are you and Raoul ready?" He asked, walking into the kitchen. Katze nodded, rolling his eyes.

"My charming Queen is downstairs, informing the delivery boys that if his breakables break, he will have their heads on silver platters. He said. Iason chuckled, shaking his head.

Raoul could be quite spirited at times.

"Iason Mink." Iason answer his personal cell to an unknown number.

"Hello, my name is Akina Isayo. You know, Riki's older sister? The cute one?" A vaguely familiar voice replied. Iason nodded, frowning.

"Yes I do. How may I help you?" He asked. Akina sighed on the other line.

"You forgot something important at my sister's house. I delivered it to your building, and it's on its way up now. I just thought I would give you a heads up. Goodbye, Iason Mink. See you in June. Remember, bring a dress." She said, and then abruptly hung up. Iason stared, flabbergasted, at his phone. Katze arch a brow.

"What's with that look?" He asked.

"That was Riki's sister. Apparently, I forgot something at Kida's, and it is on its way here now. She also mentioned seeing me in June and reminded me to bring a dress? Katze, what do that mean?" He asked, confused. Katze shrugged, rolling his eyes.

"I don't know. It could mean anything with those crazy people. I love them, don't get me wrong, but they're cryptic as hell." He muttered. Iason chuckled, pocketing his phone. When there was a knock at the door, the two men looked up.

"It appears so, Katze." He said, walking towards the door. He pulled it opened, eyes widening.

"Riki?" Iason asked, wide blue eyes taking in his boyfriend's glowing, yet tousled appearance. Also, the duffle bags on his hip.

"Hey baby. Miss me?" He asked, grinning slightly. He was nervous at how Iason would take his sudden appearance.

"What in the world?" The blond asked, stepping aside so Riki could enter the condo.

"Sup Katz." Riki greeted Katze. Katze gave him a short wave in reply.

"I'm going to check on Raoul." He announced, stepping out the way Riki had come in.

"Riki, an explanation please." Iason said, very confused. Riki smiled, softly, reaching out to hug him.

"A lot happened after you dropped me off last night. Basically, the family told me to be happy and arranged for me to return with you to Germany. That's still okay, right?" He asked, pulling back from the embrace. Iason nodded, still confused.

"Oh course, Riki, but why did you not call? And what was it that I forgot at Kida's?" He asked. Riki chuckled, cupping his face.

"Akina was being a dork is all that was. She meant that you forgot me. And as to why I didn't call…well, let's just say I wanted to surprise you." He said. Iason relaxed, smiling down at Riki.

"Then note that it was a welcomed surprised. A most welcomed surprise indeed. Oh, Riki, there will be so much to show you! And what will you do while I work? Can you even speak German?" He asked. Riki chuckled, reaching up and kissing him.

"Calm down, baby. We can figure that out on the plane ride. For now, let's finish getting you packed and moved out." He said. Iason nodded, pressing their foreheads together.

"I am so pleased, Riki. I love you." He said. Riki nodded.

"And I love you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** And thus starts Riki's adventures in Germany ;)

- Kida-Asumi


	11. Of love and babies February 2013

SEQUEL TO KEEPING TOGETHER

Things to remember:

A) I own all characters who you have never heard of.

B) I do not own the characters from Naruto, Fruits Basket, Crescent Moon, Ai No Kusabi, The Mortal Instruments or Please Teacher, sadly. But that's okay. I'll live.

C) This is a work of **FICTION.** So because of this fact, anything I say goes. No complaining if something below does not make sense. I will be more than happy to explain my logic if you ask me.

D) This is the first part of a six part saga

E) This story covers almost 8 years of the Uchiha siblings' life

F) 55 chapters + a foreword, an epilogue, and a preview for book 3

G) This not a crossover. It is a Naruto AU. It just contains characters from other animes. It focuses on the interactions of my Uchiha family.

**More relevant info to this chapter:** Book 3's readthrough it complete! It spanned 50 chapters and 288 pages! I am so excited to bring it to you guys after this story ;) Now, on to this chapter! It made be very happy when I wrote it ;)

**Fic stats: **475 hits, 4 alerts

**Special thanks to:** maxridelover, Snowcloud8, and my sister, AkinaUchiha

Sincerely wishing you all well,

Kida-Asumi, the Captin of Sirius

* * *

><p>Riki sighed softly as he stepped under the hot water in the shower. He smiled softly as he pictured Iason in the bedroom, checking his schedule for the day. He would join him shortly.<p>

The past two months had been amazing. Iason had been ecstatic with his temporary move to Germany. According to Katze, who had moved to Germany six months ago, Iason had left work early that entire first week. He'd taken that first weekend off, and had shown Riki his world.

It was fantastic.

Riki opened his eyes when he heard the shower door opening. He turned, smiling at Iason as he slipped inside.

"Everything okay?" Riki asked as he was embraced. Iason nodded, kissing Riki.

"Yes. I apologize for the wait." He murmured. Riki shrugged and pulled Iason under the water's spray.

"Quit apologizing for shit that you can't control. It's not like I care, sexy. Besides, as long as you spend some kind of time with me a day, I can function without you. I'm not Raoul, who demands constant attention." He said, winking at Iason. Iason chuckled, shaking his head.

"As you wish. Shall we make plans for lunch?" He asked. Riki nodded, reaching for the shampoo.

"Sure thing. Here, where I could make you something, or out and about?" He asked. Iason pondered that for a minute.

"We shall eat here, today. I was informed that tonight you shall meet my family. Raoul plans to propose to Katze tonight." He said. Riki's eyes widened.

"No shit?" He asked, surprised. Iason nodded. Riki grinned.

"That's wonderful! Katz will be so happy." He said. Iason nodded.

"Indeed."

* * *

><p>"Hitomi, Aiden, where are you guys?" Wataru called, walking around Kida's house. The three were playing hide-and-go-seek. Yuuri and L were outback, helping Popo garden. Fern was over visiting, and was playing a video game with Oten. Kida and Kane were making lunch. "Come on, guys, you make this game so hard." He sighed, shaking his head.<p>

"We're right here!" He turned around, finding Hitomi helping Aiden out of a laundry bin. Wataru rolled his eyes as his little sister giggled. Aiden grinned, running over to him.

"Uncle Wataru!" He exclaimed, hugging his eight year old uncle. Wataru picked up the nearly two year old, smiling.

"Found you, Ai." He said.

"Lunch!" They heard Kane call. Oten's door beside them burst open.

"Sweet!" Oten exclaimed, running past them. Fern emerged more gracefully, scooping up Hitomi.

"Shall we go eat?" Fern asked Wataru. He nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, let's go." He said, and together, they all headed downstairs.

* * *

><p>In the months since Riki had moved away, Fern had moved closer to the compound. Kida had tried to ask him to move in, but he had turned her down firmly, stating that he preferred to wait until things got more serious. However, he did spend the majority of his free time with her family.<p>

Upon entering the kitchen, Fern found Popo holding an armful of dinning wear. He sat Hitomi down, and quickly walked over to help.

"I can take some of those, Popo." Fern insisted, giving Popo a grin. Popo nodded, looking up at Fern. Fern walked outside, unaware of Popo staring after him, a blush on his face.

"Okay, let's eat." Popo heard as he walked outside, shaking the blush from his face. Kida was standing at the head of the table, adjusting Aiden's bib. "Po, thanks for finishing the weeding for me." Kida added. Popo shrugged, smiling at his friend as he sat down beside her.

"Food time, baby 'Tomi!" Oten cackled, winking at the three year old sister. She grinned, grabbing a cracker.

"Yum!" She said. Kane chuckled, brushing back her hair.

"Yes, it is yummy. Good for your tummy, too." She said. L rolled his eyes at her word choice, nibbling at a cookie.

"Fern, can we toss the ball around after this?" Yuuri asked, biting into an apple. Fern nodded, grabbing a sandwich.

"Sure thing, bud. Did I tell you that when I was thirteen, I was captain of my baseball team, the Serious Pirates?" He asked. Yuuri's dark eyes widened.

"Really? That's so cool!" He exclaimed. Kida shook her head, amused as Fern and Yuuri began to talk about the game.

"Mama!" Aiden said, reaching for an apple slice. Kida smiled softly, handing it to him. She looked up when a foot touched hers under the table. Fern was watching her, smiling. She blushed when he winked. Shyly, she touched her foot to his. Fern shot her a smug grin, and turned back to Yuuri. Kida bit back a giggle, returning to her son.

* * *

><p>"Aunt 'Kina!" Keiji grinned, looking up from his spot on the floor beside his father.<p>

"Oh god, Sasuke, I came as soon as I heard." Akina said, slightly breathless. Zinan was on her hip, gripping onto her. He frowned when he and his mother were pulled into Sasuke's arms, not liking the feeling of being trapped.

"Thanks, Akina. God, I'm so nervous." He muttered. Akina nodded, pulling back slightly.

"Where's the baby?" Yuki asked as he walked over to them, Lin and Jin at his side.

"How is Sakura?" Jin asked, arm around Lin's waist. She bent down and picked up Keiji. Sasuke sighed, leaning against his sister.

"Well, the baby is in there, resting. The doctors say that, even though he was born early, he's strong and healthy. They'll let me bring him home in a couple days." Sasuke said. Akina wrapped an arm around Sasuke's waist, squeezing him gently. "Sakura, however, began to bleed and they had to open her up to stop it. She's still recovering. Apparently, the placenta began to detach as they were dressing her for birth, and that's why he was born early; the placenta was weak."

"What is his name?" Yuki asked, squeezing Sasuke's shoulder.

"Sango. He looks like Itachi." He said softly. Jin sighed, shaking his head.

"Lin and I could take the boys back to the compound, if you guys want." He offered. Sasuke nodded, leaning over to kiss Keiji's forehead.

"Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it. Here, take Sakura's keys and get our car seat." He said. Keiji waved at his new brother through the window.

"Bye, Zinan. Mommy loves you." Akina said, kissing her son's cheek. Yuki did the same. Zinan giggled, reaching for Jin when he reached for him.

"I'll make sure Ren and Yukio get to their schools okay tomorrow. You guys focus on you. Also, Lin will help Itachi with clan business." Jin said. Sasuke nodded, leaning against his sister.

"Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa." He said. Lin nodded, smiling.

"No problem, sweetie. We'll be back tomorrow." She assured him. Sasuke nodded.

"Night guys." Yuki said. The two nodded, and left.

"Let's sit down." Akina suggested. Sasuke nodded, and together they did.

* * *

><p>"Wow, look at this place." Riki murmured. Iason chuckled, nodding.<p>

"Yes. Raoul wanted everything perfect, and this is Katze's favorite Italian restaurant." Iason explained.

"Iason!" A small voice exclaimed. Riki looked over in time to see a small, long haired blond child run up to his boyfriend. Iason smiled patiently, patting his head.

"Gabriel. Is Mother here, then?" Iason asked. The boy shook his head, taking Iason's free hand.

"No she's not. She had to fly out to Brazil to save some kind of project." A new voice said. Three more males were approaching them, all with long blond hair as well. The oldest looked to be a couple years younger than Kida. The next child looked to be about L's age, and the youngest looked a few years older than the one with Iason's hand.

"Antoine, Eyton, Flint." Iason greeted them.

"Who's this guy?" Gabriel asked impatiently, glaring at Riki.

"This is Riki. When Mikael and Sina arrive as well, I will introduce him further." Iason said. Riki nodded at all of them. Antoine and Eyton shared a knowing look.

"Riki!" They turned to see Raoul approaching them, Katze under his arm. Katze waved, grinning.

"Hey guys." He greeted the brothers. Beside them stood a man as tall as Raoul and Iason, with Iason's straight hair and Raoul's coloring. He hand an arm around a green hair woman's waist. She had brown eyes and glasses. Riki vaguely wondered if she was somehow related to his brother-in-law.

"The life of the party has arrived, my darling brothers." Raoul sighed happily, kissing Katze's cheek. Katze blushed, but grinned.

"You must be Riki." The man said, holding out his hand. "I am Mikael Dal, third son of Jupiter, and this is my girlfriend, Sina." He said. Riki nodded, smiling and shaking his hand.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you." He said. Iason nodded, and then turned him to the younger boys.

"Riki, these are my youngest four brothers. Antoine Bhag, is the oldest of the four." He said. Antoine had curly blond hair and black eyes. "Then Eyton Chul." He had straight blond hair and brown eyes. "Flint Harro and Gabriel Jair." He said. Flint and Gabriel both had Iason's hair coloring, something they had got from their mother, and dark eyes. "Boys, this is my beloved." He said. Riki shot him a grin, and then nodded at the boys.

"Let's go eat, guys and Sina." Katze said, smiling at the only lady among them. Sina nodded, smiling.

"Agreed. I don't know about you boys, but I'm starving!" She laughed. The men laughed, and together they sat down at the table.

* * *

><p>"Kida." Fern whispered in her ear. She was lying back against him on the couch. Across the room, Kane, Oten, and Yuuri were watching a movie. Popo was in the shower, and L was in his room, looking at his newest case. The rest of the children were asleep in bed.<p>

"Hm?" She replied, looking up at him. He kissed her forehead, smiling.

"Let's go for a walk." He suggested. She nodded, standing up. She offered him a hand, and then after he was standing too, they left the house.

Fifteen minutes later, the two were sitting in the garden.

"So what's up?" She asked. Fern smiled softly, cupping her face.

"I realized something today, as I helped Aiden into his pjs." He informed her. She raised an inquiring brow, and patiently waited for him to continue. "I'm happy, Kida. Really happy. Happier than I've been in years." He said. Kida smiled, chuckling.

"I'm glad. But what does my son have to do with your happiness?" She asked. Fern smiled softly, kissing her forehead.

"Everything. Kida Uchiha, I've come to realize that I am madly in love with you." He said. Kida blushed, her mouth dropping.

"Really?" She asked. He nodded, waiting her response. She suddenly grinned, jumping forward to wrap her arms around his neck.

"Whoa!" He gasped, falling back with her in his arms. Kida burst into giggles, and began to kiss him.

"Oh Fern, I love you too!" She informed him. His eyes widened.

"Really?" He asked, brown eyes studying her black ones. She nodded, kissing him once more. He relaxed, an easy grin coming to his face. "That's fantastic." He said softly, pulling her down to kiss him. She followed it, settling on top of him.

The next morning, the two returned to the compound to find her son waiting for them, hands on his little hips, frowning. Kane stood next to him, an expectant look on her face. Kida blushed and Fern rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Looks like I'm moving in." Was all he said. Kida giggled and Kane rolled her eyes.

Honestly, kids these days.

* * *

><p>"Little Sango, I'm your Uncle Yuki." Yuki whispered to the baby. Akina smiled softly as she watched her spouse interact with the new baby. She had her phone in hand, snapping pictures to text to her brothers and sisters who could not be here in this moment.<p>

Today was the day that little Sango would be going home.

"Let me kiss him goodbye, Yuki." Sakura said from her wheelchair. The first Uchiha wife was still recuperating from the birth, but would be able to go home in a few days. Yuki complied, handing her the baby. She placed a kiss on his head, and gently petted at his cheek.

"Goodbye, little Sango. Mommy will be with you soon." Sakura said softly. Sasuke squeezed her shoulders, and together they looked down at their new son.

"She'll be home soon, little guy. For now, we boys will have to do." Sasuke said, smiling down at the baby. He looked up at them, blinking slowly. When he yawned, Sasuke sighed.

"We should probably go, babe. I'll be back tonight, with Keiji." He informed his wife. Sakura nodded, pulling him close for a kiss.

"Okay. I love you." She said. He nodded, rubbing their noses together.

"I love you." He replied, and then took the baby into his arms. Akina walked over, gently placing a thick quilt over the baby. Sasuke re-tucked Sango under his chin, and then squeezed his wife's hand once more.

"Alrighty, I'll take Sakura back upstairs. You boys go on home." Akina said. Sasuke nodded. Yuki gripped his shoulder, saluted his wife and sister in law, then lead Sasuke outside.

"Watch after them for me, Akina." Sakura said, looking up at her husband's twin sister. Akina nodded, gripping her shoulders.

"No problem, Sak." She said, kneeling down to look at her at eye level. Sakura smiled, gripping her hand.

* * *

><p>"I think Grandma Lin is going to stay with you for a little while." Yuki said as they drove him. Sasuke sat in the backseat, his arm around Sango's car seat. The baby was asleep, a pacifier in his mouth.<p>

"Yeah. Better than Mom, I guess." Sasuke replied, looking at his sleeping child. Yuki shrugged.

"Ah, Mama Mikki isn't so bad. Now my Mom on the other hand, who let me tell you how much not fun that, would be. Aki and I barely get any alone time as it stands now, with three kids. I'd hate for my Mom to take that away too." He sighed. Sasuke frowned.

"Yuki?"

"Yeah broski?"

"Quit talking about sex with my sister."

* * *

><p>"A minute of your time, my companions." Raoul said over the chatter of their table. Silence fell as requested, the group staring at him expectantly, with the exception of Katze, whose gaze was curious. Raoul smiled.<p>

"As many of you are aware, I am madly in love with this sexy red head at my side." Raoul said, gripping Katze's shoulder. Said red head blushed, looking at the table shyly. "And, fate has allowed me a great favor - he is just as in love with me. Nothing brings me greater joy than that simple fact." He said, taking one of Katze's hands and kissing the back of it. Katze watched him, smiling softly. "Katze, you have become my world. My new, more realistic world. Would you do me the honor of becoming my lawful wedded husband?" He asked softly. Katze's eyes widened.

"Really?" He asked, stunned. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that something like this would come up. Raoul nodded.

"Yes." He said simply. Katze blinked back tears, and yanked Raoul down for a kiss.

"I will." The red head replied, happy tears breaking from his eyes. Raoul smiled softly, wiping away a tear. As they shared a tender kiss, the table broke out into applause.

Sometime later found Riki and Katze alone together in the bathroom, Raoul and Iason seeing off their brothers.

"Congrats, man." Riki said warmly, gripping his shoulder. Katze nodded the smile he'd had on his face since the proposal still present.

"Thanks, Riki. God, I was so surprised. I mean, Raoul has never mentioned marriage. He's mentioned things like religious bonds and things, but a wedding? Not even once!" He exclaimed, chuckling a little. Riki chuckled as well, shaking his head.

"Well, as long as you're happy, Katz, that's what counts." He said as they exited the room. Katze nodded, nearly glowing as he was pulled into Raoul's embrace.

"I know Riki. And I am." He said, leaning up to press his lips to his new fiancé. Raoul returned the kiss, threading his fingers through Katze's red hair. Shaking his head, he said his goodbyes and went to the door, where Iason was standing. He reached for Iason's hand, and they exited the restaurant.

"I thought tonight was lovely." Iason commented as they walked to his car. Riki nodded, squeezing his hand.

"Yeah. I'm really happy for Katz. He's always been kind of a lonely guy. He was so happy to have his love for Raoul returned. Now, he's so elated that he can barely keep standing. I think that this permanent bond will do him good." Riki said, smiling up at Iason. His boyfriend nodded.

"Raoul is just as happy. He was so nervous, Riki. It was a rare sight to see." Iason admitted. Riki chuckled, leaning up to kiss him.

"Mind if I smoke on the way home?" Riki asked. Iason shook his head.

"Not at all. Though I do ask that you wait until you are buckled in before you light it." He said. Riki shrugged.

"No prob. So, Raoul nervous, huh? That must have been interesting." He said. Iason chuckled, unlocking the car.

"Indeed it was. Now, however, we will both become busy planning this wedding." He said. Riki groaned, buckling in.

"Let the games begin?" He asked, lighting his cigarette. Iason chuckled once more, and started the car.

* * *

><p>Katze chuckled softly as he read Kane's enthusiastic reply to his news. He had just texted her about the evening.<p>

"Did you find something amusing?" He looked up, his expression softening as he spotted Raoul, leaning out of his bedroom onto the balcony.

"I just informed Kane and her reply was a bit over the top. Wanna see?" He asked, patting the spot beside him on the wicker bench. Raoul nodded, walking over and joining him. He placed his perfect face on Katze's shoulder, his golden hair falling across Katze's body. Raoul chuckled.

"My, she's quite ecstatic, isn't she?" Raoul asked. Katze nodded, setting his phone down and turning to face Raoul. He cupped his face, and then pulled him in for a tender kiss. Raoul placed his hands on Katze's lower back and upper thigh, supporting himself as he leaned in. He pulled back minutes later, licking his lips.

"What was that delicious bit about?" He asked as Katze moved further into his embrace, curling up on his lap.

"I just thought I'd show you my enthusiasm. God Raoul, you made me so happy tonight. Words just can't describe how happy it makes me to know that someone finally wants to claim me as their very own." He sighed happily into Raoul's neck. Raoul's hand rose to cup his head gently.

"It is my pleasure, Katze. And you, my little red-headed angel, make me just as content. To know that you love me enough to put up with me and my…over the top quirks for the rest of your life is quite satisfying, I must admit." He said fondly. Katze shook his head, squeezing Raoul gently.

"They're not too bad, to me at least. Hell, I even find some of them highly entertaining." He chuckled. Raoul pulled back, gently wiping at a stray tear that escaped from Katze's eyes.

"Are you alright?" He asked, slightly concerned. Katze nodded, smiling.

"Yeah. I'm just a little emotional right now. Give me a week and I should have them under control, okay? Note that these are happy tears." He said, letting out a stray sob. Raoul nodded, pulling him into his arms once more.

"Only if you promise to seek me out anytime they hit." He replied. Katze nodded, gripping onto Raoul.

"I love you so much." He said, tears now streaming down his face. Raoul kissed his forehead, rocking him gently; patiently.

"And I love you just as much, Katze." He replied.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **So much this chapter! Kida and Fern are in love, Katze and Raoul! Much more to come, everyone ;)

- Kida-Asumi


End file.
